With Grand Theft Auto, Rockstar Games takes their love of movies and storytelling to heightened levels inside a hyper-exaggerated version of America. Whether it’s their reimagining of New York as Liberty City, Miami standing in for Vice City, or Los Angeles inspiring Los Santos, each of these places grew and took on traits from other similar areas as they expanded into the open-world playgrounds we love. The series seems rooted here in the States, and other than that brief trip to London back on the original PlayStation, it doesn’t look like things are going to change. However, now could be the time to move out of familiar territories.
Liberty City has made for some dramatic adventures and exhilarating police chases in its concrete labyrinth, among a bustling criminal underworld, Vice City gave fans long beautiful beaches with bright neon along the strips for a sense of style that can’t be beaten, while San Andreas offered West Coast flavor with the player living a life from the slums to the hills, occupied by the rich and famous. These places have been well-explored, mapped out and expanded upon, and though it feels good to go home again, there’s some pressure on recreating cherished memories of these locations, while still doing something new. The setting doesn’t normally limit these types of stories, but there’s nothing like a fresh canvas, and with so many prominent names having left Rockstar since GTAV’s release a decade ago, a hard change in location can only benefit. But where could we go that has these same attributes and potential, as well as new elements to play with?
Let us travel to the Empire State of the South, Georgia. Its capital city holds a wealth of history, a true mixing pot of people as well as culture, and it is a place that makes waves in many different ways – welcome to Atlanta, where the players play.
Why Atlanta makes sense for Grand Theft Auto
Before we go any further, rule #1 is that almost no one who lives here calls it “Hotlanta,” so no need for anyone else to either. That doesn’t matter much anyway, as we know that Rockstar would slightly change the name of the city, major landmarks, and businesses, mostly to fit their style and dry sense of humor but also to avoid lawsuits. I want to talk about what is actually in The A that could be used creatively for the game.
Traversing the city is easy if someone has a car, and that type of environment lends itself to GTA for obvious reasons. Many of the important neighborhoods here are close to each other, which a network of buses and trains, known as MARTA (Metro Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority), will help with as long as the passenger wants to visit certain main focal points. Buildings are easy to identify, and it isn’t hard to learn the area, but getting used to the traffic on major roads could take a little time. There is a running theme with many of the streets, as there are over 70 with the name Peachtree in them in some form, so it can be a tad confusing at times, which can make for a perfect joke or random lines from NPCs.
The city also contains the busiest airport in the U.S., Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, which offers more than enough action to make it a hub for missions and the perfect spot for players to pick up any size plane to fly around the city. The city also has the headquarters for Delta Air Lines, so the industry is thriving here. The other classic transportation tool would be boats, but there isn’t a ton of that here in the real world. Rockstar could easily alter the map, or expand the area enough to encompass somewhere like Savannah, similar to how San Andreas sometimes includes San Fierro and Las Venturas, so this wouldn’t be a stretch.
There are numerous famous landmarks to help the city stand out and give players plenty to play with in Grand Theft Auto. Not only do the headquarters of UPS and Home Depot call Atlanta their home with many other Fortune 500 companies, but there has to be a chance to explore the Coca-Cola Co. – probably renamed to something like Muff Cola in that world – as well, and at least one soft drink-based weapon for the online shenanigans. There’s also Underground Atlanta to explore, which isn’t technically underground, but if that isn’t enough shopping, Buckhead is the place to go, and both of these areas are ripe for an in-game rampage.
A-Town is also full of foodies, with everything from fine dining and celebrity chefs to fried chicken (Cluckin’ Bell anyone?) and the gem of the Southeast, Waffle House, which can be found everywhere for hashbrowns and late-night brawls. The food is plentiful and diverse, but everyone has to try the sweet tea. There is also a plethora of hip coffeehouses, swanky bars, and energetic clubs for after-dinner. It also wouldn’t be a Grand Theft Auto game without some spacious and detailed strip clubs, which Atlanta has plenty to choose from. We recommend Pink Pony and the superb Clermont Lounge.
Local Atliens appreciate a good festival as well, from small street events to seasonal gathers, whether it’s art, film, music, or beer, there’s always a celebration going on. Even if Dogwood or Music Midtown doesn’t draw everyone’s attention, something here will. If it’s full large conventions someone is after, Dragon Con is a real beast of a party for all fandoms and would be great to see recreated in a virtual world with a wild cosplay mission.
If something more nature-based is on the menu, there’s always the Georgia Aquarium to see tons of marine and saltwater animals, but if going outside is preferable, Atlanta has several large parks, from Piedmont to the Beltline, a system of trails converted from an old railway corridor, perfect for stunt jumps. That isn’t all, though, with spots like Stone Mountain – featuring a laser show on a carving in the formation, which is the largest Confederate monument in the world, begging for a story arc where someone tries to blow it up – and the spectacular Botanical Gardens. There’s no lack of green here.
Another thing that there are plenty of is churches, with some pretty massive ones in the city, and it’s quite common to be asked, “Where do you worship,” as an icebreaker. These would be megachurches in the game and home to some interesting characters, especially depending on the characters’ backgrounds. Atlanta is also home to one of the largest Hindu temples in the states, as many religions and people of different cultures congregate here.
The various neighborhoods are all different with their own distinct personalities because of the mix of people who live there, with a multicultural flavor in the businesses, or a place like Little Five Points that offers a spot for those who don’t seem to fit in. There are plenty of signs that aren’t in English, tastes and traditions from all around the world, and a flourishing gay community as well (some even call it Yaas-lanta). It’s a great chance to bring Tony Prince back into play.
The only thing bigger than religion in this area is the sports culture, and almost everyone is rooting for someone here, even if it has been hard to be an Atlanta team supporter in the past. It doesn’t matter if it is college (American) football, the Falcons, Hawks, Atlanta United, or our underdog champions, the Atlanta Braves, there are plenty of hometown heroes. If sports aren’t the thing for entertainment though, we have celebrities walking around, since Atlanta has become such a hub for television and film production. There have to be a few tasks that can be completed out at Trilith Studios (formally Pinewood), especially if the player stumbles onto the sets of a Walking Dead parody or new Marvel movie. If not big blockbuster films, there’s some porn, like in Vice City.
If it’s more about the historical figures, Atlanta was the birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr., so make sure to visit his church and the King Center, or any of the places that offer a deep look into the city’s history with civil rights and race relations. It’s an important thing to consider in this part of the South, as Atlanta has often been referred to as the “Black Mecca.”
There are many different languages spoken here, but being so deep in the south (Vice City was in Florida, not the same thing), it’s more about the colloquialisms, but it isn’t just all “y’alls” and calling every soda Coke. Be ready to retort or throw fists if anyone walking around says, “Bless your heart,” or refers to someone as “little darling.” Depending on how far out Rockstar wants the map to go, how deep into the swamps or out past the trailer parks that missions take us, there are a lot of different cultures and types of people to explore, and the potential for a vibrant open world is limitless.
Atlanta is its own shining star, unlike the rest of the state, and a city that has used the phoenix as a symbol, ever since being burned down by General Sherman in 1864. It’s a tough place, with a crime rate that just won’t fall, and though the people can be quite welcoming, the city as a whole doesn’t care who it swallows. It’s the perfect setting for a new game or spin-off. This is something that has zero chance of happening in Grand Theft Auto 6, but in whatever form we eventually get a new setting, it would be a great time to burn Atlanta to the ground again.
