Summary
- Rumor suggests that Grand Theft Auto 6 might feature Joe Rogan and incorporate episodes of his podcast into the game's radio content.
- Rockstar is known more for parodying media personalities in GTA games than collaborating with them, making this collaboration unlikely.
- Joe Rogan's criticism of video games and negative experiences with gaming also make this rumor doubtful.
Grand Theft Auto 6 might feature former UFC pundit and media personality Joe Rogan, according to a newly surfaced rumor. This wild claim coincides with another suspect leak indicating the potential release date of GTA 6.
Following years of speculation, Rockstar finally confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 is in development in early 2022. And while its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, subsequently made a few passing remarks about the game, nothing of substance has been officially revealed about the project ever since.
That hasn't stopped the rumor mill from working overtime, as most recently underlined by the seemingly implausible suggestion that Grand Theft Auto 6 might feature Joe Rogan. The claim originates from Audioviser, who reports that the upcoming game will incorporate episodes of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast into its radio content lineup, citing an unnamed source close to Rockstar. The report does not elaborate on the matter beyond speculating that the developers might decide against including full episodes of the comedy podcast, which tend to run for over an hour, in favor of delivering a more palatable collection of soundbites.
Taking this rumor at face value is difficult, not least because Rockstar has historically been much more likely to parody larger-than-life media personalities in Grand Theft Auto games than collaborate with them. The fact that Joe Rogan repeatedly criticized video games as a waste of time and a "real problem" in the modern society also makes this newly surfaced claim dubious, at best. His stance on the matter largely stems from his personal experiences with gaming, with Rogan previously revealing that he had to quit video games because he found them to be too addictive, to the point that he was behaving "like an alcoholic."
Rogan isn't a stranger to video game cameos, having already appeared in three iterations of the EA Sports UFC series. Compared to the notion of him featuring in a GTA game, the EA collaboration was perfectly on brand for him. But not even that partnership was built to last, with UFC 4 later releasing without Joe Rogan's commentary because the pundit had long been open about how he "hated" the experience of recording voiceovers for the game.
Granted, having episodes of The Joe Rogan Experience in GTA 6 wouldn't require Rogan to return to the recording booth for another game project, as Rockstar would presumably simply license his show. But between the developer's track record and Rogan's less-than-positive gaming experiences, this whole rumor seems to be so much out of left field that it warrants skepticism, to say the least.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is in development.
Source: Audioviser