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In 2022, a next-gen update for Grand Theft Auto 5 quietly removed a number of features that had been criticised for being transphobic, including a Captain Spacetoy doll with “interchangeable genitalia” and “drag queens” that spawned outside ingame nightclub Cockatoos.
The changes were never addressed by developers Rockstar but did happen after an open letter was sent to them by Out Making Games, a UK-based advocacy group for LGBTQ+ people working in the games industry.
“Given the cultural impact Grand Theft Auto has around the world, Rockstar has a social responsibility to your players (many of whom may be LGBTQ+), to your staff and to the world at large to not promote violence against trans and gender diverse people,” the letter said.
Now, a new report from Bloomberg about the creation of Grand Theft Auto 6 has claimed: “Rockstar is asking its writers to be less crude toward transgender people and other minorities, the common targets of throwaway gags in previous versions.”
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