GTA 6 devs spent years “going to strip clubs,” “spending time on the beach,” and riding with ex-cops to research Florida life

Game development is a hard, often thankless job, where devs spend years working extreme hours while pouring their hearts into their craft, and they’re often repaid with little more than a pat on the back ahead of the next round of mass layoffs. I say all this to suggest you shouldn’t judge Rockstar too hard for its regular GTA 6 research trips in Florida, which saw the devs soaking up the sun and the nightlife in equal measure.

“We go and try to experience everything,” senior vice president of narrative Rupert Humphries tells Game Informer, “from riding around areas at night with ex-cops, to going to strip clubs and nightclubs, spending time on the beach, in the Everglades, down in the Keys, and beyond.” The team has taken a multitude of such trips for reference material over the years.