GTA 6 IGN interview: what Rob Nelson revealed about robberies, police and Jason and Lucia

IGN published the full text of its interview with Rob Nelson, head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North, on Oct. 7. Nelson talked while playing Grand Theft Auto VI for IGN at Rockstar North, before Rockstar released An Extended Look on Aug. 27, and the full interview adds new detail on robberies, the police, Jason and Lucia's life together and how the story is built.

IGN drew its August coverage from the same session. This story covers what is new in the full interview. GTA 6 launches Nov. 19 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

Robberies: "You can rob pretty much anything"

"You can rob pretty much anything," Nelson told IGN, pointing to a store that sells headphones as an example. He also said: "These are all the robbery targets that you can go and use to make money."

Robbing is not limited to the pair. "You can do that as Jason and Lucia together, or you can do it on your own," Nelson said.

Safes come with a choice, according to both reports. Blowing a safe open is faster but can damage what is inside, and Insider Gaming says it is noisier too. Getting the combination out of the staff takes longer and keeps more of the loot. Take too long and the police arrive: VICE's summary says officers can be waiting outside, and that some buildings have another way out.

Police: hollow stars and the clothes you wear

The wanted stars tell you what the police know. According to VICE's summary, the stars show as hollow outlines when officers do not know what you look like.

Once they do, a haircut will not save you. Nelson told IGN that changing your hair changes your appearance, "but the police will still know what you are wearing." During the demo, with police searching the area, he listed the options: wait for the heat to die down, change outfits, or split Jason and Lucia up.

Nelson also said that at three stars in the city, getting away in a vehicle is hard unless it is very fast or a sports bike, so the better move is usually to get off the streets and into the alleys on foot.

If one of the pair is caught while the other gets away, the one who was arrested gets the familiar Busted screen and respawns, VICE reports.

Jason and Lucia as partners

Your partner is more than a passenger. You can let the AI drive one of the pair while you sit back and listen to the radio, Insider Gaming reports, and VICE adds that you can shoot from the passenger seat during a chase.

The partner also has ideas. In the demo, Nelson was heading to a pawn shop when Jason spoke up as they passed a police impound lot. "But we went past this cop impound lot, and Jason called it out," Nelson said. He added: "I hadn't actually heard that dialogue from him myself yet." VICE's summary says either character can point out a nearby job or activity while you are traveling somewhere else.

Insider Gaming reports that Nelson described the two as independent characters, either of whom may suggest an activity or head off on their own, and that the chemistry between them was a major focus for the team.

Daily life: texts, safehouses, barbers and trunks

VICE's summary of the interview lists a run of everyday details:

• Texts. Jason and Lucia send each other everyday messages, such as reminders to lock up or a note that one is going to bed.
• Switching. Switching to Jason can catch him in the shower.
• Safehouses. They have routines and visitors: other characters can stop by while Jason and Lucia go about their day.
• Grooming. At home you can shave or trim hair and facial hair, but a new style still needs a barber or salon.
• Shops. Some clothing stores and salons carry items and hairstyles you will not find everywhere.
• The trunk. A personal vehicle's trunk holds extra outfits and weapons.
• The phone. Pulling out the phone brings the camera closer to the device in your character's hand, rather than showing it as an overlay.
• Taxis. A taxi ride can include full conversations with the other people riding with you.

Snapmatic: "You just lurk"

Snapmatic, the in-game social media app, is back with a limit. "We have Snapmatic," Nelson told IGN. "You have people that you follow and you can also just browse it." You cannot post, because Jason and Lucia are "a couple on the run," he said. "You just lurk."

Combat

According to VICE's summary, pointing a gun at someone can make them run without a shot fired. You can shoot limbs to incapacitate enemies, or shoot the weapon out of their hand, which Insider Gaming also reports. Some kills trigger slow-motion effects like those in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Stolen cars and fences

VICE's summary adds detail to car crime:

• Fences can tell you where to find cars to steal and supply information such as access codes for police impound lots.
• Damage lowers what a stolen car sells for.
• Trackers in some cars alert the police if you drive too slowly, so you have to choose between speeding up and ditching the car.

Insider Gaming describes the same risk differently: driving a certain way in a car with a "black box" might alert law enforcement.

A world that reacts

The people of Leonida are not all bystanders. Insider Gaming reports that Nelson said pedestrians may be carrying concealed weapons and may step in when they see a crime, and VICE's summary says some armed civilians can start violence themselves.

VICE also reports that conversations you overhear can set off events and give you something new to do, and that animations adapt to people's different heights and body shapes. The same summary says GTA 6 has more radio and TV ads than any earlier GTA, citing two IGN saw: a depression medication called Angstipan and a 30,000-calorie Prairie Sandwich.

Animals can be examined and recorded on a checklist, as in Red Dead Redemption 2, and you can pet a dog or scold it, VICE reports. Nelson also told IGN that the demo showed only a "tiny, tiny slice" of the city.

Story and missions

Rockstar wrote the story with repeat playthroughs in mind, according to VICE's summary, and smaller decisions can add up to bigger consequences. Nelson told IGN he is happy that people play Red Dead Redemption 2 more than once. "I believe that GTA 6 is built for that as well," he said.

Other story details from the interview:

• Missions. Some offer more than one route, or a choice between driving and doing the shooting, VICE reports.
• Open world and story. VICE says Rockstar has blurred the line between open-world activities and main missions.
• Backstories. Nelson said Jason and Lucia "have rich backstories that we sometimes explicitly talk about and sometimes just allude to."
• Lucia's ankle monitor. It matters to the plot and is central to how she and Jason come together, according to VICE's summary.
• A side character. Lucia can meet a lawyer who lives in a dumpster, VICE and Insider Gaming report. VICE says you can give him pills and come back later for legal advice.

Already reported in August

IGN's Aug. 27 coverage of the same session covered the Criminal Profile, tiered car theft with tools such as a key cloner, the phone scanner for cars, police who need a witness or an alarm, eating and gyms, and safehouses that Nelson compared with Red Dead Redemption 2's camps. Our gameplay features guide has all of it, credited to the people who said it.

What the interview does not settle

The reports we read do not mention frame rate, a PC version or file size, and Rockstar has announced none of them. Rockstar describes GTA 6 as a single-player experience. Our confirmed-facts ledger tracks what Rockstar and Take-Two have confirmed, and Is it true? checks the claims going around.