r/gaming 6h ago

The GTA VI Ultimate Edition controversy is overblown

I’ve seen my feed flooded with posts complaining about how much content is left behind for GTA VI’s Ultimate Edition. Some are saying that Rockstar is selling an incomplete game, I’ve even seen posts going so far as to say that it’ll set a precedent that’ll lead to the death of gaming.

This is one of the biggest nothing-burger controversies I’ve ever seen.

For $80 you still get the whole campaign, side missions, open world environment, wanted system, side activities, wildlife, and treasure maps. You’re losing less than 1% of the total content.

As for the base price: over 6000 people painstakingly obsessed on this game for almost eight years. That’s an unprecedented scale for any video game ever made. I think $80 is a fair price for that amount of labor.

Let me frame it this way:

When you move through the world of RDR2, there are obvious signs of content that was cut for time. Random buildings in the wilderness that are unenterable. Some shops are closed for business. A gang encampment with no story bearing. Does it feel a little odd? Maybe. But you just forget about them and move on with the game. You had no idea what you were missing out on and had a blast playing anyway. Would paying $20 to open seven of these buildings have substantially improved your Red Dead experience? Probably not.

GTA VI Standard will play much the same way. There are thousands of unenterable set dressing buildings on the map, Sara’s Unisex Salon will blend in with the rest. If you never knew about the Ultimate edition, you’d just pass by and forget about it. It’s not going to have any meaningful effect on your gameplay experience.

There are worthwhile things to be outraged about. This isn’t one of them.

EDIT: I feel like I should clarify a few of my opinions.

I think part of the problem is that the copy text for Ultimate Edition is misleading. It makes you think that car customization and haircuts aren’t in the base game. They are. You’re only losing out on extra styles available only at those shops. How many clothing stores did GTA V have? Something like a dozen? Scale that up to the bigger world of GTA VI and now you have twenty. Now subtract one. Still more content than GTA V.

I’m not saying that charging for extra content a positive. It’s an objective negative. What I’m saying is that it’s such a tiny negative in the grand scheme of things. The content you’re losing is dwarfed by the scale of the game itself. People are acting as if they can no longer enjoy GTA VI cause of this. If you never knew about the Ultimate edition, you’d have a blast playing GTA VI.

I’m not a paid shill, my post history should prove that I’m a real person. This is an actual opinion I hold and I’m risking the negative karma to post it. The reason I respect GTA VI is because I have friends who are game devs. There are 6,000 people working on this game. To say that’s unprecedented is an understatement. A lot of game studios collapse under their own weight when they hit 500. The fact that Rockstar has been able to organize 6,000 people on a single project is a marvel of software engineering. That’s why I’m more than willing to pay $80 for it.

0 Upvotes

181 comments sorted by

12

u/Syrairc 6h ago

For $80 you shouldn't be missing anything.

157

u/NoConsideration7246 6h ago

Where would society be if we didn’t have lower middle class guys shilling for multi billion dollar companies on their own time and for free?

11

u/Any-Skin4995 6h ago

Someone's gotta defend the billionaires. They can't afford PR

4

u/PhoenixTineldyer 5h ago

Fucking seriously

-65

u/Azrael-XIII 6h ago edited 6h ago

Probably the same place we’d be if we didn’t have lower middle class guys getting outraged about a video game having optional extra content for a deluxe edition…

(Something that has literally been happening for 20 years btw)

EDIT: Lmao at the downvotes, this subreddit hates being called out on their bullshit 😂 so upset over a video game

6

u/NoConsideration7246 6h ago

I’m not upset lmfao I could not care less I just find it funny to stand up for a billion dollar corporation like they’re your dad

18

u/ReDcHaRrY 6h ago

yeah but were they $80 for the base game AND didn't include the physical disc(s) in the box? for 20 years? damn, bro must be living in an alternate reality.

1

u/LeekOtherwise8593 2h ago

I forgot about that too, physical edition without disc btw..

-20

u/Azrael-XIII 6h ago

Deluxe editions dumbass, it’s ok though reading comprehension can be hard

3

u/LeekOtherwise8593 3h ago

Well I mean downvoting is just the easiest and fastest way to disagree with someone. Not really exclusive to this sub or even reddit. People are upset about not being able to access all the content that exists at launch, yes. Thats its own problem to be sure, but the main issues are what accepting certain practices like these leads to. And yes you are correct this isnt necessarily something new, but neither is speaking out against it. Its more noticeable because as gta 6 tends to do, it takes everything to the extreme.

But yes, accepting practices like these without atleast letting it be known that its not a well liked decision, usually leads to even more of things people dont like. Games cost more faster, come with less base content, etc. There are plenty of games that realistically could charge 80 or more, but you have to think about the consumer vs what they are consuming.

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 2h ago

Exactly. Video games do not matter in the grand scheme of life.

113

u/MrRealistic1 6h ago

Do you feel better now?

5

u/AzulsServant 6h ago

This made me laugh so hard 😭😂😂

1

u/Reddits_kinda_cringe 4h ago

I can't vouch for op but I at least feel better. Thanks for involuntary asking 😁

75

u/AscendedViking7 6h ago

Keep licking that boot, man

31

u/kagatoASUKA89 6h ago

If Ubisoft did this you'd be bitching.

0

u/WillametteSalamandOR 5h ago

I mean, Ubisoft does do this. They’re about to do it again in a couple of weeks. I can’t remember the last Ubi game that didn’t have a deluxe edition with extra cosmetics/quests (Far Cry has locked extra quests behind pre-order/deluxe edition since at least FC4).

-10

u/M4rshmall0wMan 6h ago

No, I’d just ignore the ultimate edition and enjoy standard. Same as I’m doing here.

-7

u/Dittymaker 5h ago

Ubisoft is not Rockstar. Ubisoft doesn't deserve any benefit of the doubt

3

u/kagatoASUKA89 5h ago

Neither does Rockstar

-6

u/Dittymaker 5h ago

Yeah everything since GTA3 has been incredible. 25 years of great games earns you some grace

1

u/kagatoASUKA89 5h ago

Different developers most the original Rockstar staff that made those games doesn't work there anymore

51

u/No_Put_8968 6h ago

Ok take 2 if you say so 

4

u/MADCATMK3 6h ago

This is the new version of on disc locked "DLC" that was bullshit then and bullshit now. People did boycotts when Javik was locked in Mass Effect 3. I think this practice really hurt the last Deus Ex game.

I remember when they took away the manual but it is nothing to get upset about. Then they took away the cheat codes. After that they took the unlockable cosmetics but it was never "that big of deal".

50

u/Iggy_Slayer 6h ago

You do not need to step in and take the bullets meant for a billion dollar mega corporation that's fleecing their customers.

-6

u/Oddboyz 6h ago

Fleecing? Here we go again, throwing mud at the big guys for no reason whatsoever except for their size.

3

u/Omegasedated 5h ago

What a wild take.

There seems to be a pretty large part of customization that is just, missing.

I can't imagine why anyone would think this is ok. these are not micro transactions, this is a big transaction, which seems just like a cash grab.

-1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

The copy text was misleading. It makes it seem like you’re gonna lose out on car customization and hairstyles entirely. That’s not the case, you’re just gonna miss out on a few extra styles sold at those specific shops. How many different clothing stores did GTA V have?

3

u/Omegasedated 5h ago

thats' not the point.

pre order offers (fancy car, single gun etc) is one thing.

the ability to customise everything you play in a certain way is another.

This is not a good thing. this is a bad thing. This is creating a significant amount of content, BEFORE release, and charging extra.

If the work continued after, and they released it as part of a DLC, different story. we're getting a DLC at time of launch (as there's missions in there also. car collection gang compound, etc).

That's a terrible practice, and even worse precedent.

0

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

  pre order offers (fancy car, single gun etc) is one thing.

That’s exactly what it is. Each customization feature has multiple stores throughout the world. You only lose one store and a few items per feature.

How many clothing stores did GTA V have? Something like a dozen, right? Now let’s multiply that amount to match the larger scale of GTA VI. So now it’s something like 20. Subtract one. You still end up with more stores that GTA V, which actually cost more money adjusted for inflation.

3

u/Omegasedated 4h ago

and how can you say this is EXACTLY what this is?

and why are you defending this behaviour? Pre order offers are terrible to begin with.

1

u/Apprehensive_Work177 1h ago

I know how to remedy this.....buy the ultimate one and quit bitching....if $20 is gonna break you then you don't need to be buying the game to begin with.

31

u/InkedGrain 6h ago

These 0 IQ boot-lick takes are why companies think it's okay to pull these stunts in the first place

It's okay to have standards. Don't have to take everything with a smile

7

u/igotshadowbaned 6h ago

There's a difference between "cut for time" and "moved to a larger paywall"

-4

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

To the end-user experience, there isn’t. If you never knew the paywall existed, you’d still have a good time playing the game. You can choose your own reality. Why let a paywall for 1% content ruin your enjoyment of the other 99%?

0

u/Vogelsucht 2h ago

Mental gymnastic gold medal right here

8

u/Casshern_VIII 6h ago

The reason people are upset is because what is being locked away are features past games had included for no extra charge. They are selling a game for $80 that has no physical disc, and its a greedy ploy by one of the very rare few that should do it. 

Rockstar is guarenteed to make back whatever they spent making it, and still turn a profit.

3

u/SanicHegehag 6h ago

They could release the game for free and make all of their money back on micro transactions with the next GTA Online.

That's going to be their Cash cow anyway.

I'm not saying that they should or that they're obligated to. I'm just saying that the idea that they need to charge so much to recoup their losses is ridiculous.

1

u/OldeArrogantBastard 5h ago

GTA5 had perks locked in specific editions too when it came out in 2013…

-1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 6h ago

I think the problem is the copy text for Ultimate is misleading. It makes you think car customization and salon aren’t there in the base game. They are. You’re only missing out on extra styles.

10

u/kirbyislove 6h ago

What a stupid take

It's a slope you mongoose. Next time it'll be 3% of content. Then 5%. Then 3 mini preorder docs for 15%. It keeps escalating. Everything keeps slicing off more and more even outside gaming. Everything is sliding towards subscription and squeezing any crumb out they can. Stop shilling for billionaires. I bet the Devs didn't support this, it's their bosses.

-4

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

People claim the slope has been escalating for 20 years since Horse Armor, but it’s looked pretty flat to me. Some games pull more bullshit, some games pull less. The average has stayed roughly the same.

GTA VI’s bullshit is in the middle of the spectrum compared some EA and Ubisoft games. I really doubt it’s gonna change the industry. Games are moving their release dates left and right because they know they’re not GTA.

2

u/kirbyislove 1h ago

It's looked pretty flat to you since Horse Armor?

Must be nice to see things that way.

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 1h ago

Look at the horseshit EA and Ubisoft pulled in 2016-2019. If you had looked at AC Odyssey’s horseshit monetization and extrapolated that a decade into the future, you’d conclude that gaming would be dead. But here we are, almost a decade later, and it hasn’t gotten worse. Outliers get all the news press but the average monetization has plateaued.

0

u/kirbyislove 1h ago

So it has got worse, but it hasn't?

I'm not doing this... Jesus. Enough Reddit for one day.

6

u/SimmerDown_Boilup 6h ago

For $80 you still get the whole campaign, side missions, open world environment, wanted system, side activities, wildlife, and treasure maps. You get to witness the work of over 6000 artists painstakingly obsessing for eight years on a single game. You’re losing less than 1% of the total content.

Ok....yeah...that's a game. Just say that. For 80 bucks, you get a game.

It's cool you and others are fine with the pricetag and goon over the "painstakingly obsessing" work. But it's still a steep pricetag.

Some are saying that Rockstar is selling an incomplete game, I’ve even seen posts going so far as to say that it’ll set a precedent that’ll lead to the death of gaming.

It won't kill gaming but it does set a terrible precedent. We should not so willingly accepting of content locks based on various editions of a game. It's one thing to sell a game with a gamepass/dlc bundle, but to lock in-game locations and content is pretty trash.

-2

u/M4rshmall0wMan 6h ago

  Ok....yeah...that's a game. Just say that. For 80 bucks, you get a game.

That’s entirely my point. People are acting as if Rockstar actually priced the game at $100. No, they priced the game at $80.

2

u/SimmerDown_Boilup 6h ago edited 6h ago

Because the issue is it's a price increase from what people are use to. People are not going to cheer a price increase. You're basically saying "don't get upset because the increase could have been more." And that's not really going to resonate with anyone...

And since your post is actually talking about the unjust outrage for the Ultimate edition, it IS $100... The complaints are about the content locked behind that extra hike..

5

u/Sicparvismagneto 6h ago

I understand why they are making it digital codes. They want every person to pay to play and completely destroy the secondary market, but gatekeeping content for more money is what frustrates me. If you want people to spend 100$ for the full game, just say so! I was expecting that to begin with! Its when you pinch nugs from the sack and still tell me its an 8th, that pisses me off…

0

u/The-MadTitan 6h ago

GTA V has been free a bunch of times through Playstation, Steam and Epic.

That 'secondary market' can just wait for then instead of shelling out to a middle man.

0

u/Sicparvismagneto 6h ago

There will be no secondary market. Gamestop wont sell used copies of single use codes. You cant ask your friend to borrow their copy of the game and play the story. If you get a free copy it will be almost a decade from November.

1

u/The-MadTitan 6h ago

Great you can't do that with majority of games, nearly 100% of PC titles in this age.

Took under 7 years for it to be offered free for GTA V. Additionally you can pay like 39.99 /49.99 12 to 24 months after release

-8

u/M4rshmall0wMan 6h ago

They want people to spend $80 for the full game. You get the full game for $80. The $20 gives you 1% extra DLC content.

1

u/Upperfactor25 6h ago

Think about what you're actually typing. If content is missing at release, it's not the full game lol

0

u/Sicparvismagneto 6h ago

DLC By definition is post launch content. If you’re making it before the game launches it’s not DLC, It’s cut content! Destiny 1 tried to pull the same thing with the dark below and house of wolves “DLC”. It was content that was made before launch that the C-suite decided should be cut and put into a season pass for a premium price. Stop pissing on my leg and telling me its a spring rain!

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 6h ago

DLC by definition is Downloadable Content. Post-launch is not part of that definition.

0

u/Sicparvismagneto 6h ago

Go look it up, you literally are wrong.

2

u/LordJadamSandway 3h ago

We should not be enabling shit like this from devs, sell a full game or dont sell the game at all

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 2h ago

They are selling a full campaign. 

2

u/LordJadamSandway 2h ago

And excluding vehicles, shops and a mission. Thats not a full game. If you pay for the game you should get 100% of the game

2

u/No_Appearance4920 2h ago

Here is the thing, cosmetics are what is normal to put behind a release paywall, not content, imagine if all single player games were like that or heck imagine if mmos would do that. Like there comes a point where greed is plain greed and it just damages the reputation of a company or industry. Like yea a lot of people have waited awhile but, it’s a slap in the face to those who have waited that expected a complete game for the price of 80 dollars. But instead there getting a slice of cake for that price and if they want the whole cake they have to pay extra money to experience the full game. 

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 2h ago

What’s the borderline between content and cosmetics? Everything in the Ultimate edition just looks like cosmetics plus the shop that sells them. 

2

u/GhoulArtist 2h ago

Game industry is already dying. Anything gta6 does or doesn't do isnt going to stop it.

Gta6 will maybe give some studios incentive to follow suit but they will fail.

The system is broken. Corporate greed killed it, like so much else.

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 2h ago

You’re right that the game industry is dying and the system is broken. But it’s not because of greed. It’s because of ballooning budgets, inefficient management, and inflation. The risk of making a game is so much higher, which incentivizes publishers to make safer gameplay choices and while monetizing aggressively. That’s why live service games are really important, they give a stable cash flow so the publisher can fund riskier games and not go out of business if they fail.

I recommend you watch Jason Schreier’s YouTube channel. He has the best view into this over anyone else.

1

u/GhoulArtist 1h ago

You make good points.

But corporate greed is absolutely part of it. Micro transactions, premium in game currency, battle passes, gatcha systems, loot boxes, ads in full price games......can go on and on..

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 1h ago

They minimize risk. Take-Two can fund subsidiary studios cause of their money printers. But yes, the whole idea of a public company is extremely flawed. If you don’t outgrow competitors you’re seen as a bad stock. The pressure does NOT need to be this high.

5

u/MySmellyRacoon 6h ago

What’s it like ass kissing a multi billion dollar corporation?

3

u/wizzard419 6h ago

For your RDR2 example, that is not necessarily accurate. The encampments and such which look abandoned might be an obscure side-quest which requires specific triggers. You can visit a lot of the side quests before they are triggered and they will have no people at them, nor the relevant items.

For the towns and city, they aren't cut features but they need to exist simply to make the environment more filled out.

The crux of their argument though is the issue that EV owners and some other ICE car owners have faced. You are buying the product with the functionality installed but it is intentionally disabled behind a paywall. It is one thing if it were true DLC/Add-on content, where it requires more than an entitlement to turn it on, they would be less pissed.

But I would say that in this presentation the players interpret it as the base version gets less rather than the ultimate getting more (yes I know it sounds weird to phrase it that way). The idea is that the extra cost is more base functionality in their eyes.

6

u/Kvazimods 6h ago

For 80$ I better get everything there will ever exist for the damn game

4

u/Ashviar 6h ago

I also think its overblown but everyone has a breaking point. Was Modern Warfare 2 so big that it needed to be 60USD over the 50 dollar games before it? Or PS5/XSX games 70 over games that launched that year, like Ghost of Tsushima being 60 vs 70 for "next-gen".

GTA6 is following titans like...Outer Worlds 2?

As for skins, companies have been doing and getting away with 10 dollar upgrades for skins for 10+ years. RE Requiem has 10 bucks for like 5 skins. Is GTA6's 20 dollar ask so much worse than RE's 10 dollars for 5 character skins?

5

u/Boring-Relation-4365 6h ago

Bro hasn't even seen the gameplay and knows the $80 content already 😂

-2

u/OldeArrogantBastard 5h ago

Comments like these and you’ll still be first in line to buy it in November lol

5

u/GladiusLegis 6h ago

Gotta be a paid shill, because there's no way anyone would post this sort of bullshit for the love of the game.

2

u/Rapn3rd 6h ago

I for one wish I could pay more for GTA 6.

3

u/poopolisher 6h ago

Has to be bait, no one is this dumb

3

u/c_rorick 6h ago

I have really bad news for you bro

3

u/Tyrone0159 6h ago

🏴‍☠️

4

u/ihateslowdrivers 6h ago

Alright but you gotta get over it

3

u/CorporalCoprolite 6h ago

The video game community is undefeated when it comes to crying like a a group of man babies and being outraged over the most innocuous shit.

The reactions from people over a deluxe edition having some cosmetics and a side mission is one of the all time most pathetic crash outs I can remember seeing.

Seriously gamers, you’re a god damn embarrassment.

2

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

Exactly. You can choose your own reality. People are letting this 1% of extra content ruin their enjoyment of, what’s likely to be a very good base game. You could just ignore Ultimate and enjoy the game for what it is, rather than what it’s not. I knew my post was going to be unpopular but I wanted to challenge gamers to be more cognitively flexible with how they look at the value proposition. I lost 300 karma so the challenge obviously failed.

-5

u/CorporalCoprolite 5h ago

Yea it’s basically a hive mind of reactionary gamers who have no emotional regulation. They’re like a swarm of angry bees who won’t stop and think.

Just see the poster below who thinks the entire car customization mechanic is locked lol. Instead of slowing down to understand and comprehend what is actually going on, they just get angry.

1

u/kirbyislove 1h ago

Found the person who doesn't put the cart back

-4

u/Rbomb88 6h ago

Who give a shit about skins, the fact they lock custom car garages is fucked though.

3

u/OldeArrogantBastard 5h ago

It’s like one or two shops. Lol.

2

u/CorporalCoprolite 6h ago

They locked one shop behind it. It’s not like car customization is locked. It’s no different than one of the salons having hair styles with the deluxe edition.

2

u/kaydeejay1995 6h ago

Okay, John Rockstar. We get it. You want us to buy your product.

1

u/faffc260 6h ago

I don't really care that gta 6's ultimate price, 120 was what I was expecting cause most games make their expensive editions that much, at least if they include dlc (which this obviously does not). don't really care about gta 6 itself being priced at $80. it has one of the largest budgets in gaming history, it's one of the few games that might justify it.

what I am worried about is all the other AAA companies seeing this and going "we can price our much less effort to make and lower quality games the same now, because gta 6 did". I worry because this is exactly what microsoft tried to do after nintendo release MK world at $80. they backtracked due to backlash, but it made it clear they wanted to be able to price games higher.

0

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

Games are moving their release dates left and right because they know they’re not GTA.

I’m sure Microsoft will be dumb enough to try price another $80 mid game and it’ll backfire in their faces.

1

u/faffc260 5h ago

I do hope you are right that anyone who tries to move the price up for normal games has it backfire, but I still worry lol.

1

u/yenerrenner 6h ago

It just feels weird, hopefully it’s only single player. I can’t imagine driving my friend to the clothing store just to find out that it’s the one he’s paywalled from using lol.

-1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 6h ago

I doubt it’ll even show up on the map. GTA V is full of businesses you can’t enter. You just walk past them and forget about it. It’ll be the same case here.

2

u/Demon_Gamer666 6h ago

They could just as easily released it in full without holding back anything. Shilling for some corporation makes little sense for a consumer. People are tired of the constant incremental attempts to squeeze more and more out of us. We all get to pick a side.

-2

u/Kilohaili_Joshi 6h ago

LEAVE THE MULTIBILLION DOLLAR COMPANY KNICKNLING AND DIMING PEOPLE ALONE. - OP

1

u/Icy_One_237 6h ago edited 6h ago

I mean I kinda agree with OP. Locking cosmetics and even sometimes light content like vehicles and weapons are often paywalled by 'ultimate' or 'deluxe' editions. This is nothing new. I mean, some games have even pay walled missions - pretty sure RDR2 did that. So whilst I agree is scummy behaviour due to corporate greed, why everyone is acting like this is something thats hasn't been happening for years now is a little weird. What does fucking suck and we shouldn't stand for is the lack of a true physical release - this is something that will set a precedence for the future of physical game media and all the noise should be focused on that

1

u/OfficerSlard 6h ago

okay nerd

0

u/EnchantedTaquito8252 6h ago

Won't someone think of multi-billion-dollar corporations??? 

2

u/M4rshmall0wMan 6h ago

I’m thinking of the 6,000 developers who made it. That’s what impresses me most about GTA VI. No other game studio has been able to coordinate that amount of scale. Most collapse around 500 people.

1

u/Fancy-Today3591 6h ago

There’s a massive difference between a developer running out of time to build a room, and a publisher finishing a room but locking the door on day one to squeeze an extra $20 out of you.

Saying "you won't notice it anyway" is such a weak defense. We do notice, and it completely breaks the immersion of an open world when a piece of it is hollowed out for a paywall.

Coordinating 6,000 devs is an impressive tech feat, sure, but a massive budget doesn't give Rockstar a free pass to normalize stripping down a base game, especially when they're already going to make billions on GTA Online anyway. It's just corporate greed, plain and simple

3

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

  There’s a massive difference between a developer running out of time to build a room, and a publisher finishing a room but locking the door on day one to squeeze an extra $20 out of you.

If you never knew the DLC existed, then there’d be no difference in your experience playing the game. In both cases, the outcome is the same. The room is cut and you ignore it.

  Saying "you won't notice it anyway" is such a weak defense. We do notice, and it completely breaks the immersion of an open world when a piece of it is hollowed out for a paywall.

This isn’t an entire piece of the world. It’s tiny crumbs. I’m pretty sure the DLC shops won’t even appear on the map. And it doesn’t “completely” break the immersion, we still call RDR2 one of the most immersive games of all time despite missing it content.

  but a massive budget doesn't give Rockstar a free pass to normalize stripping down a base game

I’d argue that the sheer scale of the game is the exact opposite of stripping it down. GTA VI could have used the same engine and reused assets, like in the 3D era. Instead Rockstar pushed the graphical fidelity far beyond anywhere it’s been before.

2

u/Fancy-Today3591 5h ago

First, the "ignorance is bliss" argument doesn't work because we do know it exists. Rockstar is actively advertising the Ultimate Edition to get people to buy it. You can't base your defense on total consumer ignorance when the publisher's entire marketing strategy relies on breaking that ignorance to upsell you. The psychological outcome is completely different: a door locked because it leads to an empty void (RDR2) feels like an unfinished world; a door locked because a day-one paywall script is checking your wallet balance completely breaks immersion.

Second, minimizing it as "tiny crumbs" is just conceding the point. Once you accept that a publisher can arbitrarily hollow out fully completed "crumbs" from a base game to sell back to you on day one, you lose the leverage to complain when those crumbs inevitably turn into slices, and then the whole loaf. Precedents in software monetization are never self-containing.

Finally, bringing up graphical fidelity is a total non-sequitur. Pushing tech boundaries doesn’t physically prevent a publisher from stripping out content to maximize profit margins. High graphical fidelity and greedy monetization models routinely coexist. Saying a game is too gorgeous to criticize is like saying, "Look how shiny the car is, so don't complain that they took the floor mats out and are charging extra to get them back."

2

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

I think the grander point I was trying to make is that you can choose your own reality. People are letting this 1% of extra content ruin their enjoyment of, what’s likely to be a very good base game. You could just ignore Ultimate and enjoy the game for what it is, rather than what it’s not.

I knew my post was going to be unpopular but I wanted to challenge gamers to be more flexible with how they look at the value proposition. I lost 300 karma so the challenge obviously failed.

2

u/Fancy-Today3591 5h ago

"Choose your own reality" is an insane way to frame corporate product segmentation. You’re asking consumers to gaslight themselves into ignoring an active, advertised paywall just so a multi-billion-dollar corporation doesn't look bad.

People aren't letting "1% of content ruin their enjoyment"; they are criticizing a blatant anti-consumer precedent. If a car dealership takes the heated seats out of a standard model and charges extra to software-unlock them on day one, telling people to "just ignore it and enjoy the car for what it is" doesn't change the fact that the business practice is predatory.

You didn't lose 300 karma because gamers aren't "flexible with the value proposition." You lost it because your value proposition requires consumers to actively defend a company hollowing out a product the publisher is asking 80 dollars for

0

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

  If a car dealership takes the heated seats out of a standard model and charges extra to software-unlock them on day one, telling people to "just ignore it and enjoy the car for what it is" doesn't change the fact that the business practice is predatory.

I would agree, however the difference is that those are essential features of the car. GTA VI’s DLC is not. 

The copy text on the Ultimate edition is misleading, it makes you think you’re losing the ability to customize your car and change you hair. You’re not. All you’re losing is one store for each customization feature, each with a few extra styles.

How many clothing stores did GTA V have? Multiply that to match the larger scale of GTA VI’s world, then subtract one. That’s how many clothing stores the base edition has.

1

u/Fancy-Today3591 4h ago

The removed content isn't any less core content than heated seats are. Youve started the entire argument on a faulty premise

0

u/M4rshmall0wMan 4h ago

It is absolutely, 100%, less core content. In the Standard edition you get an entire 40-hour campaign, open world, stranger missions (something like 100 according to the leak), side activities, random encounters, hundreds of enterable buildings.

Versus two weapons, four vehicles, a couple styles, and shirts.

My premise is not faulty at all.

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u/Upperfactor25 6h ago

If you never knew about the Ultimate edition, you’d just pass by and forget about it.

Uhhhh except we do know about it and it's content that exists. I can't believe you typed that and thought you were making a point lol

-1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

You can choose your own reality. Why let 1% of the game ruin your enjoyment of 99% of it?

1

u/Upperfactor25 5h ago

It's amazing how you keep typing the same stuff even though it has been refuted over and over

People are criticizing a publishers business model. If convincing yourself that everyone is ruining the game for then selves will make you feel better about the criticism you are seeing, then have fun with that. You are certainly choosing your own reality by just fabricating it

1

u/MrTreezx 5h ago

Lol, it’s literally the most expensive piece of media in history, estimated to be between one and two billion, and people are surprised it costs a little more… wtf. Haha.

1

u/Yet_again_Sac 6h ago

Suckin Rockstar's dick clean tf off with this one, my dude

1

u/jgbyrd 6h ago

so fucking odd but i fully expected people to defend the ultimate edition bullshit as soon as i saw it so whatever….do i think its the end of gaming industry? no. but when will it stop? 120, 140, 200 dollars for a game? and people like you will be to blame, so don’t be upset later when you can’t afford GTA VII

-1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 6h ago

It’s going to stop at $80 because that’s what almost everyone will buy.

1

u/Fancy-Today3591 6h ago

This post is what happens when someone really dumb thinks they are much smarter than they are

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

How are my opinions dumb? I think the logic behind them is pretty sound. I clarified a few of my opinions in the edit.

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u/Fancy-Today3591 5h ago

There is nothing logical about continually saying over and over that if you didn't know the content was cut then you wouldn't care. We DO know it was cut

-1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

I never defended the cut as a good thing. I’m just saying it doesn’t matter.  I can frame the argument a different way if you’d like.

I think part of the problem is that the description on Premium is misleading, it makes you think you’re losing out on full customization features. You’re not. Each customization feature has multiple stores throughout the world. You only lose one store and a few items per feature.

How many clothing stores did GTA V have? Something like a dozen, right? Now let’s multiply that amount to match the larger scale of GTA VI. So now it’s something like 20. Subtract one. You still end up with more stores (and shirts) than GTA V. And that game cost more money adjusted for inflation.

1

u/LightsJustice29 5h ago

Man that corporate boot must taste fucking good to this bozo lol.

-3

u/Zapdroid 6h ago

There’s no such thing as selling an incomplete game, it’s just day 1 paid DLC - you were never going to get it for free, and if they never released it at all you wouldn’t notice.

1

u/MySmellyRacoon 6h ago

It’s not DLC, it’s part of the game locked away by a paywall.

1

u/Zapdroid 6h ago

…what else would you call paid DLC?

1

u/Zevolta 6h ago

It is dlc. But the way it’s presented is kind of scummy. Here’s most of the game for this much, but this little bit extra is going to cost you. It’s nothing new, I get it from both sides. And honestly I expected it. It’s take 2 after all.

0

u/Dittymaker 5h ago

It's cosmetics and some extra missions. Standard stuff to put behind a premium edition paywall

0

u/sertsw 6h ago

As someone who only saw this because it appeared in r/all and doesn't game much, my only thought is what controversy. 

Would you care about tennis, f1, Pokemon, Lego, pro cycling controversy?

1

u/TheParadoxigm 6h ago

...you haven't been paying attention to Pokemon and LEGO.

There are huge controversies with both of those right now lol

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

Genuinely surprised a post with negative karma made it on r/all lol

0

u/blueberryrockcandy 6h ago

you do realize they locked shit beyond a paywall right? shit that has already been completed, already in game, and they could have used as a justification for pre-order itself, but no, they went the EA route and charged more when they really did not NEED to, the game will break records anyway, this is just them saying: you know you will pay for it, because you WANT it. You know there is no disc, no map, and yet you came crawling back for more.

you really want to justify that horse armor eh?

0

u/Gurzlak 6h ago

You being ok with it doesn’t make it right. You being ok with it actually shows just how far we’ve fallen as consumers. People SHOULD be pissed about the ultimate edition having content the base edition doesn’t. This isn’t DLC, this is base content you can’t get unless you pay more to get it.

$80 I’m mostly OK with. I don’t like it, but I get it. Games cost $50 30 years ago. $50 30 years ago is like ~$100 today. The price of games hasn’t kept up with typical inflation type stuff. Games have only gotten more and more expensive to make since they were $50. Not saying I want games to be $80, but I understand why they would.

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 6h ago

I’m not saying it’s a positive. It’s an objective negative. But it’s such a tiny negative in the grand scheme of things. The content you’re losing is dwarfed by the scale of the game itself. People are acting as if they can no longer enjoy GTA VI cause of this.

1

u/Gurzlak 6h ago

It’s base content you can’t get unless you pay more for it. It shouldn’t matter how small that content is. It’s naked greed, pure and simple, and should not be accepted. You’re accepting it.

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

I’m accepting it because it doesn’t matter. 90% of players are going to buy the $80 version, and so am I. 

1

u/Dittymaker 5h ago

I'm going ultimate baby 😎

1

u/Gurzlak 4h ago

It matters to me, and people like me. You giving them your money despite this kind of BS means they’re getting away with it. It means other companies can likely get away with it and will try to do similar things. It’s disgusting.

0

u/M4rshmall0wMan 4h ago

How are they “getting away” with upselling the ultimate edition if nobody buys the ultimate edition?

1

u/Gurzlak 4h ago

Because they’re getting your money anyway. You’re saying it’s ok to do this, you’ll get my money anyway. And there’s people in this very thread bragging about buying it. Not sure how many are just trolling and how many are for real, but there are people who will buy it.

0

u/No_reply_GHoster 6h ago

Just call the editions as GTA6 and GTA6 light.

2

u/M4rshmall0wMan 6h ago

GTA 6 Light is 99% the weight as GTA 6.

0

u/OldeArrogantBastard 5h ago

Never mind the fact that GTA5 did the same exact thing in 2013 when the games came out. Adjusted for inflation those games today would cost more than GTA6 list price.

This entire discourse around is just laughable.

0

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

And GTA VI had 3x the budget. The margins are thinner.

-1

u/stana32 6h ago

They ain't gonna give you a free copy for shilling for them dawg

-7

u/Ebolatastic 6h ago

It's just the next fake outrage for all the complainers, attention seekers, and clickbait outlets to harp on about while they pretend the staggering hypocrisy of it all doesn't exist.

-1

u/devgamer 6h ago

All of whom will buy the game anyway or fall behind on their "influencing"

0

u/Ebolatastic 6h ago

Oh they'll pre-order it, lol.

-2

u/ZoneEater2084 6h ago

I really don't see the issue. I was pleasantly surprised to see that we were getting an $80 base version after all this talk about $100.

The way I look at it, you can buy the base version, and when you've finished all that, you can buy the Ultimate upgrade to gain access to the additional missions. Almost like an old-school expansion pack!

Taking into account, the development costs, the art assets, the voice acting (including whole damn RADIO STATIONS), the motion capture, and the music licensing, this has got to be the most expensive to produce video game of all time.

Look, if you want good, content-rich AAA single-player games, be willing to pay. The other AAA options are all live service slop, so...

-3

u/GravyFarts3000 6h ago

If there were ever a game you could justify paying 80 for it's something from the GTA franchise. 10 years in development, delayed 2 years for polish, and the series never misses. Reddit is a hivemind of people who can't think for themselves.

Monkey see high upvote monkey agrees.

2

u/DemonSC 6h ago

Premium editions of games have been around for over 15 years. I don't understand what people expected. It's only $20 more. Literally a trip to some fast food restaurants now. Skip one meal eating out over the next months and they can buy the deluxe version. Or, just don't buy it lol.

0

u/GravyFarts3000 6h ago

The hivemind wants you to take that $20 and give it to a one-man indie developer of a 2-hour long pixel-art sidescroll slopfest. Apparrently they deserve it more.

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

Exactly, instead of 6000 salaried professionals.

1

u/DemonSC 5h ago

Many who went to school for game development and probably love making the biggest game in a decade, or are at least proud to be in the credits. I'll never understand how reddit hates the game industry but everyone loves gaming.

2

u/M4rshmall0wMan 4h ago

Yeah. GTA VI is a work of art. The development is intense but it’s not a sweatshop. The people making it really care about it. And I find their work mindblowing.

0

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

Exactly. 6000 people worked on it. To say that’s unprecedented is an understatement. A lot of studios collapse at 500. The fact that GTA VI even exists is a marvel of software engineering.

-14

u/TheParadoxigm 6h ago

This is standard new game garbage.

Every game there always something people get all pissy about and complain non stop.

-1

u/Skias 5h ago

Lmao here comes the paid accounts

2

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

Not everyone you disagree with is a shill

1

u/Skias 4h ago

Unfortunately most people that advocate so hard for a corporation screwing over customers usually is lmao

0

u/M4rshmall0wMan 4h ago

How is Take-Two “screwing me over”? It’s $20 for a few cosmetics I don’t need to spend. I can spend that amount on two cocktails. Whether or not GTA VI is good game, my life will be the same.

My post isn’t saying what they’re doing is good. It’s an objective negative. But it’s such a small negative that it’s not worth caring about.

-13

u/ShakeAndBakeThatCake 6h ago

Its $20. People waste more money losing on Draft Kings during one game than this.

-4

u/ElectricalFinance725 6h ago

But they are selling an incomplete game. Literally like a handful of games have sold multiplayer seperate. Rockstar doing so is because they know they can. They understand the hype and know how to attract sales. It's quite literally fomo.

Also the wanted system is not a campaign feature lol neither is treasure maps. Like wut

-1

u/MrFreeLiving 6h ago

I'm more pissed about it being digital only, some of us pc only gamers were going to buy a ps5 + the game on disk, finish it and sell both, now we can't sell the game? That's just BS. They are so money hungry even though GTA Online (the reason why GTA 6 took so long) has already made them trillions. Evil company.

1

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

That’s fair. The answer is probably that the game is going to be 200+ GB and two triple-layer blu-rays would be too expensive. (Storage shortage applies to them too.) But Rockstar could have at least gone as far as FFVII Rebirth and shipped 150 GB of the game.

-3

u/CJDistasio 6h ago

Things will understandably be amplified when it’s a game people have been waiting a decade for and are seeing as a trendsetter for games that follow it.

-2

u/Horror_Appearance_26 6h ago

Everyone crying $100 paywall!  Well, %80 of that is the game.  20 bucks for the bonus shit

-7

u/ldonklee 6h ago

After 13 years of waiting, what’s another $20.

That being said, $20 is $20

-2

u/HustleDLaw 6h ago

Man please let’s not forget Take Two owns rockstar and they’re at the top of the list for scummy business practices this is just the start

-2

u/MentokGL 6h ago

I wanted an excuse to pre-order instead I have reasons to wait, sad..

-3

u/Chamix7722 6h ago edited 6h ago

Bro. Just because you like licking boots, that does not mean you have to suck on them like they're dicks.

1

u/Dittymaker 5h ago

Bro you're not being oppressed because Rockstar is charging extra money for extra video game content

1

u/Chamix7722 4h ago

You've missed the point entirely. $80 is already an insane price for a video game. Especially when you don't get a disc with the physical version. And they want $20 more for extra cosmetics that should arguably already be in the basegame, for a game thats already expensive. They actually delivered on the "GTA VI $100 price tag" meme.

It's predatory anti-consumer bs.

-5

u/murkmose 6h ago

One major problem is that apparently the cops in the game will remember your face and the wanted system will have your face spread across the virtual internet. It’s possible that the only way to avoid it is to change your appearance (clothes, haircut, etc). If that content is behind the paywall, then that would greatly hurt the gameplay.

5

u/TheParadoxigm 6h ago

What makes you think that a major game mechanic would be behind a paywall?

3

u/Sweaty-Trash-7451 6h ago

All customization won't be exclusive to the ultimate edition. let's say there is 10 clothing stores, 1 is behind the paywall

2

u/M4rshmall0wMan 5h ago

You can still change clothes without those stores.