Controversy always surrounds the Grand Theft Auto franchise, and it ramps up with new first-person perspective on the PS4 and Xbox One’s GTA 5 upgrade. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick had an interesting response to those that are upset.
A video that shows the main character receiving fellatio from a prostitute, having sex with her, and then killing her all from First Person Mode hit YouTube recently (Warning: Clearly NSFW). Interestingly enough, this was something that happened on previous versions of GTA, but it’s a whole new game from his viewpoint.
On Wednesday’s edition of Market Makers, a show on Bloomberg, they questioned Zelnick about killing hookers. He defended the work as “art” and again wonders why there’s so much focus on GTA 5 when similar content is in movies and TV shows.
I embrace that art, and it’s beautiful art, but it is gritty. And let’s not make no bones about the environment in which we operate. And we stand shoulder to shoulder with other major motion picture releases and major television shows that explore a similar universe.
Here’s the full interview, which also dives into putting the game on the current generation consoles, mobile gaming, and virtual reality in future GTA games.
UPDATE: The video has problems loading on some browsers like Google Chrome. Click here to watch if it doesn’t load.
Criticizing Grand Theft Auto on its content should be a retired item on people’s agendas. These games are for mature audiences. Some companies like Rockstar and Take-Two are trying to dive into the same market that watches mature HBO programming and movie productions.
What are your thoughts surrounding First Person Mode and the prostitute mode in Grand Theft Auto 5?
