Just weeks before the release of Love Magazine‘s exclusive interview with Rockstar Games, the studio opened up about its intensive research process for creating what it calls the most impressive virtual worlds ever made. Speaking ahead of GTA 6‘s launch next month, head of development Aaron Garbut detailed how teams embedded themselves in Florida’s culture and landscape to capture the state’s defining extremes.
The interview focuses primarily on the love story between dual protagonists Jason and Lucia, but it also offers rare insight into Rockstar’s methodology. For its rendition of Florida, team members spent significant time exploring Miami and its surrounding areas, embedding with local cultures to ensure authenticity in a world players will spend hundreds of hours within.
A Car Full of Friends Driving Through the Keys
According to Garbut, every Rockstar game begins with research trips designed to explore both a location and the studio’s creative ideas as a group. The process starts small, with leads scouting out the most interesting locations and stories before more team members join on subsequent journeys.
“Every game we make starts with research trips. It’s where to get to explore both the place and our ideas as a group,” Garbut said. “To begin, a small group of us spent some time traveling from Miami through some of the surrounding towns and through the Florida Keys down to Key West. This is one of the best parts of the entire project: a car full of friends, driving for days on end, talking about what we want to make and being immersed in the locations and our ideas.”
Aaron Garbut, Head of Development at Rockstar Games
Garbut brings a camera and phone everywhere, recording everything that unfolds. During one memorable shoot, a handful of Rockstar developers spent the day flying low and fast over mangrove inlets in the Everglades before ending their day hovering over a stadium with a live Beyoncé concert playing below.
The Details Could Be Terrifying
The research goes far beyond scenic sightseeing. Developers travel with locals, hear countless stories, and experience both sides of Florida’s society. Garbut was candid about the darker elements they encountered during their time in the state.
“We do go in-depth, we hang with locals and we hear lots of stories and learn as much as we can. We travel around with cops and with gang members. Everyone is lovely. Some people are equally scary. We experience the underside as well; although the people who showed us around were among the nicest we’ve met, the stories, the places, the details could be terrifying,” Garbut said.
Aaron Garbut, Head of Development at Rockstar Games
The developer described Miami as a place defined by extremes—lovely people alongside incredible wealth and poverty, excess and craziness. These contrasts form the foundation of Rockstar’s research, ensuring the game world feels believable and varied with genuine depth.
Avoiding Viral Moments That Date a Game
Rockstar’s approach to its modern-day GTA title involves deliberately avoiding real-world viral moments. Long development timelines mean such references can quickly age a game, as evidenced by Love Magazine‘s reference to Borderlands. Instead, GTA 6’s satire targets modern culture, conspiracy theories, and what Garbut called “the strange ways people react to events.”
The studio treats everything from pedestrian dialogue to radio shows and s as essential content rather than secondary filler. These surprising details all find their way into the game, shaped by the research teams’ experiences.
Looking Ahead
The partnership between Rockstar and Florida culture extends beyond development. Last week, the Miami Heat announced a special match during which the Heat will wear a GTA 6 uniform in a themed arena, further blurring the lines between game promotion and real-world entertainment.
As GTA 6 approaches its release window, Rockstar continues to build anticipation through these behind-the-scenes glimpses into its creative process. The studio’s commitment to immersive research appears central to why players expect one of the most detailed open worlds ever created.
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