rockstar says gta 6 wasn't fully formed when trailer 1 hit, but the tom petty song was the mission statement

Saw this GamesRadar piece and it's a small quote but it says a lot. Rob Nelson, co-studio head at Rockstar North, was talking about how GTA 6 wasn't fully formed when Trailer 1 came out. He said in the early stages they often rally around a song, and the Tom Petty track they picked for that first trailer was a mission statement for where the game was going.

That makes sense when you think about it. Trailer 1 dropped December 2023, and the game was still years out. They had the vibe, the setting, Lucia and Jason, but the systems and story probably weren't locked. The song choice set the tone. Love Is a Long Road, if that's the one, is about a relationship that's messy but you keep going. That fits Lucia and Jason's Bonnie and Clyde thing.

Rockstar has always been good at picking songs that define a game. GTA 5 had that 'Sleepwalking' trailer, RDR2 had 'Unshaken'. So hearing that the Petty song was a mission statement makes me think the tone of GTA 6 is going to be more grounded, maybe a bit melancholic but still fun.

What song do you think they'll use for the launch trailer, and what would it say about the game?

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Source: GamesRadar+ · Curated content.