If anything is sure about Grand Theft Auto, it’s that lawsuits are inevitable for Rockstar.
The game pushes so many buttons for organizations and political groups that we are bound to hear some sort of controversy upon the first trailer released for the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6. Rockstar is no stranger to having their games become criticized by the media, making titles like “Bully” which technically includes burning down a school along with “Manhunt” which was banned plenty of times due to its violent manners. While I will dive into those previous two titles, Grand Theft Auto V’s developer, Take-Two Interactive Software, was also sued for its usage of a manipulated Lindsay Lohan character in promotional material, but the proceedings were denied in the courts. This leaves us to think up what the next crazy controversy will be in the series history, as the next iteration of gameplay is bound to be realistic to the point of rustling a few feathers. Not only is Rockstar known for making fun of crazy ideas from the real-world, but they are keen in glorifying it in their games to project the mockery of these ideals. Hence, we can expect their next game to once again push the boundaries of gaming and bring a few comical punches to the boxing ring that is video gaming. Where does the past history of lawsuits and accusations lay with Rockstar? Will it be prevalent in GTA 6?
You bet it will be.
Lindsay Lohan’s artwork that she attempted to sue the company over.
Rockstar, as fantastic as they are, has been at the forefront of some incredibly outrageous accusations and problems. One of these former lawsuits that attempted to pursue Rockstar to pay out an incredible amount of money belonged to Red Dead Redemption 2, where the Pinkertons used in the game became an issue. This massive royalty chase of $725 million came up in court when the Pinkerton National Detective Agency came to the forefront of the western game and asked for their money in using the trademark. The PNDA sued in response to Red Dead Redemption 2 focusing a large amount of their story on the agency and producing a game that was not makeable without the use of Pinkerton’s trademark. They had also made points about Red Dead Redemption 2 depicting their agency as an evil and money-hungry agency in negative light, allowing players to willingly kill mass amounts of detectives. Eventually, Take-Two Interactive stated Pinkerton National Detective Agency, “has withdrawn its claims against Red Dead Redemption 2, and Take-Two will not continue legal action against Pinkerton”. The lawsuit that spanned since the production of Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018, had finally come to an end after many years of pointing the finger at each other. Rockstar went on to mention how Red Dead Redemption 2 was a work of fiction from the 1800s and one that merely references parties from that time period. However, this was only the most recent of Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive lawsuits.
Controversy also surrounds almost every release of one of their titles. For example, “Bully”, a game that revolves around a student being dropped into a private boarding school due to being suspended from his many other schools. However, this wasn’t the issue as the issue derived from what the fifteen year old student does and is capable of in the game. “Jimmy Hopkins”, the main character, is able to beat up school teachers along with beating up under-age students and punching all genders of characters. The game also got in trouble for glorifying burning down a school and students revolting against places of learning in violent fashions. The game also made fun of many figures in the basic school system, such as principals and a variety of teachers. However, one shouldn’t take these as jabs at the school system, but simply story pieces in a game for video gamers to enjoy.
While some of these concerns are justified, what do you think? Are these simply video games to enjoy or are they pieces of art that should be criticized for the messages they convey to others? For those who simply don’t care about these jabs and criticisms (which is the majority of players), check here for high-level Grand Theft Auto 5 accounts to buy. Whatever the case may be, you can bet Rockstar will receive complaints again, but that won’t stop us from having our fun!
