Grand Theft Auto VI Sells 5.28 Million Copies as 'Anti-Woke' Backlash Fails
Updated
Updated · WIRED · Sep 12
Grand Theft Auto VI Sells 5.28 Million Copies as 'Anti-Woke' Backlash Fails
3 articles · Updated · WIRED · Sep 12
Summary
$500 million in estimated preorder revenue has already flowed to Rockstar from 5.28 million GTA VI copies, undercutting online calls to shun the game before its Nov. 19 release.
The backlash centers on claims that GTA VI is "woke" because it features Lucia Caminos as the series' first mandatory female protagonist and depicts a more diverse, Miami-inspired world.
Critics on X and YouTube seized on routine clips of Lucia and Jason Duval to argue the male lead is feminized, while others attacked Rockstar staff for avoiding jokes that punch down at marginalized groups.
That outrage has been building for years, from complaints over removed transphobic gags in a GTA V remaster to false claims in 2023 that Lucia was transgender.
The sales estimate suggests the culture-war campaign is having little commercial effect, even as separate GOP criticism in Miami-Dade has targeted official ties to the game over violence concerns.