Grand Theft Auto 6is easily one of the most anticipated games currently known to be in development.Grand Theft Auto 5and its online component remain incredibly popular and lucrative products, even now nine years after launch, so it’s easy to see why developer Rockstar Games is taking its time and wants to deliver something special withGrand Theft Auto 6. But, in the meantime, Rockstar may be getting tired of hearing about it. It was recently confirmed that mention ofGrand Theft Auto 6is banned from Rockstar’s Twitch channel.
The discovery was first found within the community-run GTAForums, as a user shared a screenshot of their attempts to mentionGrand Theft Auto 6inRockstar’s Twitchchat being rebuffed. The screenshot shows someone going into the Rockstar Games Twitch channel chat and typing two statements, one with the term “GTA 6” and one with “GTA VI.” Both chats did not go live, as they were caught by the channel’s auto-moderation. Specifically, the messages were described as in conflict with the channel’s moderation settings.
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Rockstar has not officially offered a statement for whyGrand Theft Auto 6mentions would be banned from its Twitch channel, but it doesn’t appear to be an accident or misunderstanding. Rockstar has previously bannedGrand Theft Auto 6mentions from its YouTube channel. It appears the policy is simply being carried over fromYouTube to Twitch.
On one hand, it’s easy to see why Rockstar might choose to ban mentions ofGrand Theft Auto 6. The company is not actively discussing the game or its development at this time. It’s trying to focus on other projects, likeGrand Theft Auto 5. But if a significant amount of posts, or comments in YouTube’s case, are aboutGrand Theft Auto 6then it derails all community discussion. Further, the developers at Rockstar are likely very tired of hearing, “When willGTA 6launch?”
There is a counter-argument, however, which is that fans are very excited aboutGrand Theft Auto 6and that’s worth celebrating. Preventing them from chatting aboutGrand Theft Auto 6within media channels where theGrand Theft Autocommunityis gathering could come across as dismissive or even spiteful.
With no announced plans forGrand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar is unlikely to change its moderation policies on Twitch and YouTube any time soon. That will likely change when Rockstar does start sharingGrand Theft Auto 6plans, since it will want to build hype at that point. Until then, fans will just have to find somewhere less confrontational to talk about the upcoming game.
