Grand Theft Auto 4's classic Cops 'N' Crooks gameplay mode was a fan-favorite mode for years. As the name suggests, it split players into two teams: the Crooks (criminals) and the cops (police). The goal for the Crooks was to escort themselves and their boss to safety.
On the other hand, it was the job of the Cops to try and hunt them down. Due to its popularity, many assumed that Rockstar Games would port it to GTA 5 or even GTA Online. But, while this was the initial plan, things changed midway in the wake of George Floyd's death.
Floyd died on May 25, 2020, after dismissed Minnesota police offer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for an extended period. Floyd's last words, "I can't breathe", served as fuel to the still-raging Black Lives Matter movement.
According to last week's Bloomberg report, Rockstar is making changes to its workplace culture and becoming more "woke", as the kids say these days.
In light of the George Floyd protests, Rockstar quietly shelved a planned content update for GTA Online that would have brought a variant of Cops 'n' Crooks to GTA Online. The report claims the public mistrust of American police at the time made senior executives feel uneasy about releasing any police-related content. Furthermore, sources familiar with the mode's development claim that Rockstar doesn't intend to bring it back anytime soon.
Bloomberg noted that this is just one of the several changes coming to Rockstar Games as it seeks to become more conscious of the current political climate. A few months ago, the company cut content from the current-gem remasters of GTA 6 for transphobic language. Also, in the same report, it is believed that Rockstar will feature a Latina woman as one of the lead playable characters in GTA 6 as part of its bid to become more socially sensitive.
Only time will tell if Rockstar's pivot towards a more sensitive and crunch-averse workplace will benefit the company and its games.
In other news, the past month was quite the revelation for the upcoming GTA installment. For example, Jason Schreier denied that GTA 6 will have three protagonists. Meanwhile, a since-updated resume of an actor might have just revealed the potential codename for GTA 6. Finally, we got wind that Rockstar has worked on GTA 6 since 2014 in some form or capacity.
