The latest version upgrade for GTA Online was reported by Rockstar Games. The gaming community has been experiencing mixed feelings, disappointment, and of course, a lot of disgust. The tweet from the official Rockstar account revealed ‘A Safehouse in the Hills,’ a new luxury property which will be opened to players in December for the first time. Through the services of Prix Luxury Real Estate, gamers will be able to ‘build your palace’ at the new location, and this being the main highlight of the new property—an in-game richness that players could not flaunt before will now be their exclusive digital lifestyle—it is such a property that the players will be able to showcase their in-game richness. Still, it could be seen by just the replies that scrolling down that for many gamers the new mansion is just the shiny cover that blinds the long wait for Grand Theft Auto VI: the elephant in the room.
So what’s the house’s scoop? The company mentioned that it is a next logical step after ‘building an empire.’ It has a castle, a dream palace, and the ultimate status symbol in Los Santos. The look is so attractive, it is going to cost a lot of in-game money, and it will be launched just before Christmas! A typical Rockstar release in a way—big, shiny, and at the same time the player has to keep grinding (or probably even getting a Shark Card to buy in-game currency). But, what about the player reactions? It’s a total mix-up, dude.
A section of the gamers considers it a great update. One of the users who goes by the name ‘gta devin weston’ also mentioned that ‘i think its a great addition,’ which again, is positive vibes and all that. Another user called ‘Ry’ asked a very reasonable question that probably many are thinking: ‘Does anyone know how we get to the black tier ?’ This shows that there are still expectations for future developments and rewards, the struggle to reach the top of the luxury hierarchy. For hardcore players the new high-end property at the end of the game is more than a reason to log back in and play the market again.
On the contrary, the other side of the argument has been very loud. The majority of responses are just people venting their frustration over GTA 6 time after time. It’s like an ongoing cycle. User ‘xRIPZYx’ said it plainly: ‘Guys just ship gta6, we all know the story is done.’ Another user ‘zaydontfwyou’ shared: ‘I already did the missions. Drop the dlc already and release gta 6…. We not retiring until gta 6 releases.’ There is no question about it—the gaming community is nearly unanimous in thinking that this update is nothing but a band-aid, a method to keep the players entertained while awaiting the new chapter of the story. It’s like being offered a new fancy ornament for your ten-year-old car, which you are driving only because you really want the brand-new model.
The criticism does not finish here. Some players are already taking the monetization issue to the limit. User ‘Brittinculi’ did not hold back: ‘Anyone putting real money into this game needs their head checked.’ Ouch! That’s very harsh criticism of the Shark Card economic model upon which GTA Online has heavily relied for years. A growing and loud weariness of the ‘pay to win’ or ‘pay to look cool’ mode, especially in a game that has been around for so long, is well reflected here. Then there is ‘NK_EliteYT’ who describes it as ‘The largest scam in gaming history’ which is definitely… a strong one, for sure. It’s an exaggeration but at the same time, it does underline the deep-rooted discontent of some players towards Rockstar’s decision to continue supporting the online mode of GTA V.
The negative comments become more and more specific. User ‘Alex Fenix 🔥’ made a very good point about the quality-of-life improvements, saying, ‘I would love to have one of two qol things come in this update. Either, a safe that has all business safes funnel to it, for me to collect whenever. Or an icon next to the business telling me when the safe is full.’ This is a player who really loves the grind, managing multiple businesses, and he is asking for a super convenient feature that would save him hours of boring checking. But the update is about a new mansion. It is a classic case of developers adding new content while still ignoring the annoying problems that affect gaming daily.
