Should Rockstar Rebrand Grand Theft Auto Like Sega Did For Yakuza / Like A Dragon?

A fan has raised an interesting question about the future of the Grand Theft Auto franchise.

In a post on the GTA6 subreddit, MessyWiseGuy argues that:

The name “Grand Theft Auto” (almost) doesn’t mean anything regarding GTA 6’s direction towards realism

The Case Against The Name Grand Theft Auto

MessyWiseGuy’s argument is very simple. If the franchise keeps the name Grand Theft Auto, that name should continue to describe what the game is about.

In Grand Theft Auto IV, players could start taking taxis. In Grand Theft Auto V, that extends even further.

Each of the three protagonists have their own personal automobiles. More than that, they can buy more cars in the course of the game.

In both these cases, these additions help make the game fun. But they move the games away from the idea of Grand Theft Auto, since you don’t have to steal cars anymore.

MessyWiseGuy compares this situation to a Brazilian soap opera called Malhação, but we think we can make a comparison that all gamers will relate to.

The Story Of Yakuza / Like A Dragon

When Sega first released Ryū ga Gotoku to the West, they chose to change the name of the game completely to Yakuza. This made sense for the 2005 PlayStation open world title.

This game was specifically about a high ranking yakuza member named Kazuma Kiryu. Kiryu enters the game after freshly leaving prison and re-enters their world.

But, in the events of the game, Kiryu doesn’t act like someone who wants to take over a crime family, or even become a high level criminal himself. We won’t spoil the story here, but Kiryu isn’t really a yakuza himself.

Two years ago, Sega decided they would rebrand the franchise as a whole. Moving forward, they would use the name Like A Dragon, the literal translation of the original title Ryū ga Gotoku.

Some fans still dislike the use of the name Like A Dragon or continue to call them Yakuza games. But the name change has opened Sega up to take the franchise beyond the limitations of urban organized crime in Japanese cities.

Does Rockstar Really Need To Rebrand Grand Theft Auto Though?

While we’ve made this argument for Ryū ga Gotoku, we can also say that the situation for Rockstar and Grand Theft Auto is different too.

Of course, for one, Rockstar has kept the franchise name and branding for over 20 years around the world. Japan also knows the franchise under the Grand Theft Auto brand.

Secondly, the original top-down Grand Theft Auto game on the PlayStation is also not strictly about grand theft auto. You can steal cars and sell them for money as far back as the first game.

But the real way to progress in the game is to take jobs from criminal groups across Liberty City, San Andreas, and Vice City. If you do try to avoid taking jobs, it will eventually take too long and get too hard to make enough money to progress.

We think MessyWiseGuy makes a good case to rename Grand Theft Auto. Maybe Take-Two and Rockstar might even do it someday.

But we argue there’s just as strong a case to keep the name as it is. And it’s not just for Take-Two to save money from filing new trademarks.