GTA 6 is already on its way to be banned in Russia according to a new report. The game is said to be poisonous, breach multiple morals and lead to destructive corruption or so some politician thinks.
First spotted by Tech4Gamers and first reported by News.ru, GTA 6 might get banned in Russia if parts of it is not censored. According to the Moscow-based outlet (via machine translation), some people in Russia think GTA VI poses a risk of corrupting the youth.
Deputy chairman of the World Russian People’s Council and member of the Bryansk Regional Duma Mikhail Ivanov told the outlet that GTA VI will feature “destructive content that violates basic moral standards“. He goes onto say Rockstar “are deliberately including destructive and vulgar content in their product, which is completely unacceptable to the moral health of society“.
What does GTA VI have that is so unacceptable? Well, let’s find out from Mikhail Ivanov himself. He says Rockstar are planning to include male strippers. That’s it. Something from a potential leak going months back. According to Ivanov such content is “direct and cynical violation of basic moral norms and traditional spiritual values“.
Furthermore, the politician claims this will corrupt young people. In order to stop such corruption, he suggests enforcing strict legal restrictions on the distribution of the game or have Rockstar release censored versions in the market that is “cleared of immoral content“.
This man does not stop there. He tells News.ru that given Grand Theft Auto’s immense popularity, it could be a “dangerous tool of influence.” The politician grandstands by saying they have a “civic responsibility and prevent our children from being sold the poison of corruption”. The game is satirical, Ivanov.
GTA 6 Won’t Be Sold In Russia Anyway And Here’s Why
This is not new territory for Rockstar. They have censored games like GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2 in the past. For example, Japan had Rockstar remove the suicide option from GTA Online. Meanwhile the casino functions in GTA Online are not present in many regions.
It is important to remember Rockstar Games does not currently sell any of their games in the region. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, most video game publishers including Take-Two Interactive that owns Rockstar stopped selling games in Russia. You cannot purchase any Rockstar titles both physically or digitally from Rockstar themselves. Mr Ivanov should probably have done some research on that.
This will continue until Russia stop the invasion and pull out from Ukraine. Given the circumstances, GTA VI probably won’t be released in Russia anyway no matter what censorship the game may need for the ability to be sold in the country.
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