Grand Theft Auto V, now available on disc for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series, doesn’t have the same content as previous editions.
If we had to summarise what Take-Two and Rockstar have cut back on briefly, we’d say that the game’s transphobic jokes and stereotyping have been given the figurative chopping block. The cutting happened because OutMakingGames, an LGBTQ+ game professionals group, wrote an open letter to Rockstar Games asking them to do so, and they took the necessary action. Of course, it hasn’t stopped the game’s fans from finding differences in content compared to the PlayStation 3/Xbox 360, PlayStation 4/Xbox One, PC version…
A summary of what was (or was not) found was posted on the ResetEra forum, Twitter and Reddit. For example, there is a minor omission in the game room (Captain Spacetoy Interstellar in the E&E wall, where the genitals were interchangeable). The transgender drawings near the Cockatoos have also been removed. They also cut the in-game models, too.
OutMakingGames wrote in its open letter to the developers now officially working on Grand Theft Auto VI (too?) that GTA V had a worldwide cultural impact. Therefore, Rockstar has a responsibility to its players (especially since many of them may be LGBTQ+), its staff, and the world to stop promoting violence towards transgender people. The studio has not officially, or at least publicly, responded, but it appears they have listened to the request.
Something else is worth pointing out here, though. In the case of Grand Theft Auto V, the game indeed aims to be a kind of satire of the world. Be it anything from TV shows to radio programmes to the characters (where there are several parodies). And it follows that Rockstar has not done what it has now taken out of the game with offensive intent. On the other hand, it could be added that everyone else could speak up because it’s not fair to favour only one group. All or nothing…
Source: PSL
The models still exist in Director Mode at the moment, but their dialogue options have been removed (presumably this means protagonist dialogue lines to these NPCs about using hormones etc are therefore unused now too).
PC vs PS5. Thanks @SpiderVice for the PC screens. pic.twitter.com/rjkKkMfBtG
— Kirsty Cloud (@kirstycloud) April 8, 2022
Also found by JayProspero on Reddit, a texture/prop (in the arcade?) has been removed concerning a Captain Spacetoy figure that had “interchangeable genitalia”.
Not sure if there’s anything else yet as dataminers are unable to compare files until it’s out on PC 🧑💻👍 pic.twitter.com/nMjOdABESC
— Kirsty Cloud (@kirstycloud) April 8, 2022
To clarify, I specified “drag queen” as that’s the name of the model in the game, and in the PC files they’re labelled as “transvestite”. Didn’t intend to conflate them all into the same thing 👍
— Kirsty Cloud (@kirstycloud) April 8, 2022
