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Could UK Tax Breaks Pave the Way For GTA London?

BanjoTed writes "An interesting — if tongue-in-cheek — bit of speculation is up at MCV about the possibility of a Grand Theft Auto title across the pond. 'Chancellor Alistair Darling's pledge to support the video games development industry with tax breaks could do more than simply protect the future of the UK dev sector,' the site claims. 'It could also have dictated the setting of the next Grand Theft Auto.' Its reasoning? That developers will only be eligible for new UK tax breaks if their games can be proven to be 'culturally British.' Being based in the UK alone is not sufficient for this — instead, the games in question must promote Britishness. Hence MCV's conclusion that Grand Theft Auto V may well be set in London — saving Rockstar an estimated $16m in the process."

34 of 137 comments (clear)

  1. Been there, done that? by Stormwatch · · Score: 3, Informative

    A "GTA: London" is nothing new -- the mission packs for the first GTA were set in London.

    1. Re:Been there, done that? by sopssa · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yes, even the article mentions that. It doesn't mean there couldn't be a new GTA London, using the same engine as GTA IV. I'm not sure if they really want to promote "Britishness" with a game series like GTA though, even if its a fun game.

    2. Re:Been there, done that? by jandersen · · Score: 4, Funny

      And anyway, GTA, with its focus on wanton violence and abuse, is somewhat dated. How about a completely different approach: A game where the objective is to drive in a safe, economical, environmentally responsible and polite way through London City in the rush hour, taking into account the one-way system, the roadworks, the tens of thousands of pedestrians crossing the street in front of you, the fact that the London streetmap looks a bit like a Mandelbrot fractal and that streetnames change on average every 20 meters. Now that WOULD be extreme.

    3. Re:Been there, done that? by Canazza · · Score: 4, Funny

      GTA's focus on wanton violence and abuse may be dated for London, but it would be highly apt for GTA:Glasgow.

      --
      It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
    4. Re:Been there, done that? by delinear · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'd be keen on seeing how they could implement the congestion charge into the game. Especially in the early parts where you're generally short on cash - somehow beating pedestrians and prostitutes to death for their spare change to pay the fee doesn't seem to promote quite the image of Britishness I would guess the law is aiming at.

      On that note, a game involving binge drinking, violence, knife crime, teenage pregnancy, police brutality and political corruption would definitely promote "Britishness" at the moment, but I can't see Our Glorious Leaders giving it the official stamp of approval...

    5. Re:Been there, done that? by Canazza · · Score: 3, Funny

      binge drinking, violence, knife crime, teenage pregnancy, police brutality and political corruption

      So... GTA:Eastenders

      --
      It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for being subtle.
    6. Re:Been there, done that? by grahamlord86 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      It would be too difficult.

      In American GTA, I can drive carefully down the pavement past a cop car so long as I don't kill any pedestrians.

      In GTA V: London, the police would randomly start chasing me because one of the following reasons will have been met:

      1. I look like a Geezaaaaah.
      2. My MOT is out of date.
      3. My Tax disc isn't on display because I sold it for the Hot Coffee scene.
      4. I didn't pay the congestion charge.

      Oh, and every street wider than 10ft in London is a car park of traffic...

    7. Re:Been there, done that? by Gordonjcp · · Score: 3, Funny

      GTA's focus on wanton violence and abuse may be dated for London, but it would be highly apt for GTA:Glasgow.

      One of the missions in the upcoming GTA:Paisley mission pack is to steal a jeep, set it on fire then crash it into the front of the airport terminal building. Then you have to avoid the irate locals and police, with three "wanted" stars.

    8. Re:Been there, done that? by mdwh2 · · Score: 3, Funny

      I think a similar game could be done though - something along the lines of Grand Football Hooligan: London.

      Or how about, G20 Protest: London - you get the choice of playing either the police or a member of the public. You get to experience good old British tactics, such as kettling, or when that fails, a good old beating them to the ground. You'll face dangerous villains such as people trying to make their way home from work, and protestors armed with digital cameras. Be sure to arrest anyone who asks to see your ID number!

      (Disclaimer: I am British. I just hate when politicians start talking about "Britishness", as typically it's a codeword for pushing their own moral or cultural viewpoints, even if it's not in line with the views of everyone who is actually a British citizen.)

    9. Re:Been there, done that? by jc79 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      On that note, a game involving binge drinking, violence, knife crime, teenage pregnancy, police brutality and political corruption would definitely promote "Britishness" at the moment, but I can't see Our Glorious Leaders giving it the official stamp of approval...

      Yes, because let's not forget that Britain Is Broken. You can't even walk down the street without getting drunk then stabbed and made pregnant by a teenage asylum seeking terrorist high on drugs bought with generous handouts from Gordon "Stalin" Brown.

      I wish all the whinging bloody Daily Fail reading UKIP voting morons would fuck off to their villas in Spain (apparently it's only immigration when furriners come here, tax dodging ex-pats polluting someone else's country with their idiocy and refusal to speak the local language are ok) and let the rest of us get on with our lives without their relentless tide of misery.

  2. Re:I hope the Americans are ready for this by sopssa · · Score: 3, Funny

    Maybe they can finally get more liberal with sex and have an actual hot coffee minigame. But from European cities, I'd rather have Amsterdam on it.

  3. Re:I hope the Americans are ready for this by Jedi+Alec · · Score: 4, Funny

    But from European cities, I'd rather have Amsterdam on it.

    All the trolley trams and cyclists would make speeding around town...somewhat challenging i expect.

    On the other hand, we dutchmen are well known for our fondness of...coffee. ;-)

    --

    People replying to my sig annoy me. That's why I change it all the time.
  4. kids these days... by zombie_monkey · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The two expansions of the original GTA were set in London.

  5. Re:I hope the Americans are ready for this by rishistar · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm sorry, but I strongly think the tax benefits should be withheld unless there's a hot tea minigame. Give me that cup of Darjeeling baby yeah baby yeah!

    --
    Professor Karmadillo Songs of Science
  6. Re:I hope the Americans are ready for this by mjwx · · Score: 2, Funny

    Maybe they can finally get more liberal with sex and have an actual hot coffee minigame. But from European cities, I'd rather have Amsterdam on it.

    The Dutch have the sex aspect covered but are severely lacking in a bit the ultra-violence.

    Now imagine walking around a rainly grey city, in an overcoat wiff a fuk-in ant-eye aircraft gun in you fuk-in trousers, then robbing a bookie. Oh, the glassings, stabbings, beatings, gang warfare of merry old london town, shooting a bobby, smashing CCTV cameras while urinating on a lamp post and you'll understand what Friday night is to a Pom. I'm sure we can take some liberties with appearance of English women, I mean Rockstar did the same with American women but at least English girls will get stupidly drunk and shag anything that moves, that will be the difficult part to program convincingly.

    Personally I'm waiting for GTA Manila.

    --
    Calling someone a "hater" only means you can not rationally rebut their argument.
  7. Re:It needs guns by julesh · · Score: 2, Informative

    I'm not sure how that is going to go over with the availability of guns in the UK, and how easy it is to drive in London. Lets face it, half the fun is running down everyone and shooting stuff.

    Gun crime stats suggests criminals can get guns just as easily in the UK as they ever have been able to, despite a string of legislation over the last 13 years that's supposed to prevent it. And driving in London's no worse than in any other major city...

  8. Nice setting, shame about the clichés by MeesterCat · · Score: 2, Insightful

    London would be a fantastic setting for a GTA game; its street layout would be more fun and varied than the grid design of the US cities - I remember the carnage that could be had in the Midtown Madness game set in Paris.

    The whole "Geeze, cock'er'ney gangsta, innit" schtick is already very tiresome though (seemingly every single British crime film or TV drama already features it).

    --
    "I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different." ~ Kurt Vonnegut Jnr.
  9. Re:I hope the Americans are ready for this by Jesus_666 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Things look bleak for teatime until you crash through the living room wall in a stolen Jaguar to deliver the crumpets. Top score!

    --
    USE HOT GRITS WITH STATUE OF NATALIE PORTMAN (NAKED AND PETRIFIED)
  10. I'm sold, my only question is... by billsayswow · · Score: 3, Funny

    Would you have to pay the congestion charge when driving downtown?

  11. Re:I hope the Americans are ready for this by santax · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't see A'dam working. Imagine this: you get a call. Your mission is to save your sister who is in great danger. You run to your closet, change into your workcloths, grab your guns, run outside to your car. Only to find you have a wheel-clamp because the parkingmeter ran out a minute ago. Hell, they probably have towed it away already!

  12. name change needed by Bazman · · Score: 5, Funny

    We don't have "Grand Theft Auto" in the UK. We have the slightly politer-sounding "Taking without owner's consent".

    TWOC: London

    doesn't seem right.

  13. Bad idea by martin-boundary · · Score: 4, Funny

    They'll never make their money back. Everyone knows that the Knowledge takes about 34 months to prepare, they'll never get enough gamers to pass the exam!

    1. Re:Bad idea by EdgeyEdgey · · Score: 2, Funny

      Imagine if it got to the stage where people tested their knowledge of The Knowledge by taking taxi missions in GTA-London

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      [Intentionally left blank]
  14. Re:Stupid score system by tomhudson · · Score: 2, Informative

    Really? What's a boot? In England, it's a car trunk. In the US, it's footware. And in Newfoundland it's "I'm taking a walk aboot to Joe's t' get me a bottle'a screech, boy".

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_dialects

  15. Re:The Getaway by RMH101 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    It wasn't a great game, but what they did do pretty well was the first model of the centre of London, with accurate-ish streetmaps. I spent a lot of time playing that game, having not driven around London much, and was a bit freaked out to realise that when I drove up to see a Londoner mate a few months later that I actually knew my way around some of it!

  16. Re:It needs guns by delinear · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Indeed, characters like Boris the Blade from Guy Ritchie's Snatch could supply the weapons instead of a Guns 'n' Ammo on the street corner, and more heavy duty weaponry could always be liberated from the military later in the game. Actually the idea of everyone being armed with slightly shoddy sawn-off shotguns instead of AR-15's makes it sound a bit more edgy and fun - especially if there's a chance of your gun back-firing during a bank raid, etc.

  17. Re:Knightley, Clarkson by delinear · · Score: 4, Funny

    Driving like Jeremy Clarkson in some of his more manic modes would be fun, too.

    Instead of pressing the left stick activating the car's horn, it could cause your character to shout, at full volume, "POWWWWERRRR!!"

  18. Nobody? OK, Karma be damned... by Hognoxious · · Score: 3, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, game develops YOU!!!!

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
  19. Re:Stupid score system by salmacis2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Really? What's a trunk? In England it's a an elephant's appendage. In the US, it's a boot.

  20. Re:It needs guns by xaxa · · Score: 3, Funny

    And driving in London's no worse than in any other major city...

    You've either never been to London, or you've never left.

  21. then maybe they can put in the missing Ring Road by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 2, Funny

    Glasgow Inner Ring Road
    and the rest of the Greater Glasgow Transportation Plan.

  22. Rockstar North by Ma8thew · · Score: 2, Insightful

    For those unaware, most of the GTA series is already developed in the UK, specifically at the Rockstar North offices in Edinburgh. Of course, as the summary points out, they need some more Britishness in the game to get the tax break (although, frankly, the government would do better to give them a tax break for not setting it in the UK).

  23. Bonus points by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Bonus points for putting an indestructible blue phone booth somewhere.

  24. Fire Up The Quattro! by DocMAME · · Score: 2, Interesting

    GTA Meets DCI Gene Hunt... Fire up the Quattro... I am there!