GTA V's next-gen versions on the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S have reportedly removed transphobic content from both the main game and GTA Online.
According to GameRant, it has taken out any notions of transphobic dialogue, images, and character models from the game-many of, which were compiled into a single Twitter thread. The thread, which GTA Forums admin Kirsty Cloud started, contains a handful of screenshots indicating which specific content has been deleted.
Here is the thread:
In new-gen GTAV/GTAO, Rockstar appear to have disabled the trans caricatures or “drag queens” from spawning outside Cockatoos. This could be following a plea from OutMakingGames last year. I hope this provides comfort to anyone who felt these NPCs depicted harmful stereotypes 🏳️⚧️
— kirstycloud (@kirstycloud) April 8, 2022
Among the biggest omissions were probably the cross-dressers spawning outside of the bar Cockatoos. While players can't go inside, they can talk to the patrons outside the bar. And the conversations players can have with these NPCs often include transphobic jokes and lines referring to gender confirmation and taking hormones, among others.
Aside from that, Rockstar Games also seems to have removed the image of a Captain Spacetoy Interstellar action figure, which features a transgender character with interchangeable genitals. As of the new GTA V next-gen update, you can no longer see the action figure on display on the wall of the store E&E.
While the other Captain Spacetoy figure featuring a "poseable vomit direction" feature is still there, the transgender action figure wearing a pink outfit is clearly gone, writes PCGamer. The image of the updated action figure was posted on Reddit by user Jay Prospero, and it has earned over 10k upvotes at the time of this writing:
But even though the updates have removed the content, they may or may not remain in the game's Director Mode, according to Cloud:
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— kirstycloud (@kirstycloud) April 8, 2022
Read also: GTA Online: Account Migration Fixed, How to Claim for Free on PS5
A Shift In Rockstar Games' Formula?
These changes for GTA V next-gen on the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles aren't too big. But perhaps it could signal the beginning of Rockstar Games being more ... "tame" when it comes to parodying specific aspects of the real world in their games - particularly the ones from the iconic GTA franchise.
Cloud notes that the removal of transphobic content from the GTA V next-gen versions could be Rockstar's answer to a recent open letter from the organization Outmaking Games. The group wrote to the developer last September, requesting that they remove transphobic elements from the then-upcoming GTA Trilogy remaster.
They cited how their request comes after 2020 proved to be one of the worst years for members of the LGBTQ+ community. And the fact that these characters exist in GTA means that players can inflict violence on them, which Outmaking Games says could be promoting acts of violence "against trans and gender diverse people."
It is not clear whether the removal of the aforementioned transphobic content in GTA V next-gen is a direct answer to Outmaking Games. There's even no indication that Rockstar did it to the GTA Remastered Trilogy, as initially suggested. But nevertheless, the content has been removed and nowhere to be seen - or heard.
Story posted on GameNGuide
Written by RJ Pierce
