The Grand Theft Auto video game franchise has long been controversial for those against video game violence and the like. While Rockstar Games, the company behind the franchise, has largely ignored these complaints – it seems they are indulging some censorship. As it turns out, Rockstar Games is censoring the confederate flag for their upcoming Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition release.
As depicted in the game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, character Phil Cassidy consistently wore the confederate flag as an emblem on his shirt. While the image has been associated with the character for many years now, it seems Rockstar Games wants to distance themselves from the flag’s usage. As such, they’ll be removing the flag from Phil Cassidy’s shirt.
This can be seen in the below official trailer for the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition trailer. Phil Cassidy’s confederate flag shirt from Grand Theft Auto: Vice City has clearly been replaced with one featuring a simple skull symbol.
Indeed, the current times we’re living in are changing at an incredible rate. What was once okay to satirize or include is now a means to incite the wrath of either cancel culture or conservatives. As a result, Rockstar Games has yet to make any public comments on the change. However, because it was noticed in the new trailer for the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition release, many fans are expecting other changes to have been made as well. With this in mind, it’s possible that the new release could feature quite a few differences from what fans are used to with the original releases.
In any case, it’ll be interesting to see if Rockstar Games has anything to say about these newfound changes.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition includes Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The game arrives on PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on November 11, 2021.