Former GTA artist Stephen Bliss is flattered by the GTA VI cover

Stephen Bliss, who helped shape the look of Grand Theft Auto, is flattered by the cover of GTA VI. The grid of boxes and the helicopter in the top left corner go back to the work of Bliss. Bliss told IGN that at Lucca Comics and Games.

Bliss worked at Rockstar Games from 2001 to 2016. The artist had no part in the cover of GTA VI, and says so clearly. The influence is limited to small references, according to Bliss, and the cover speaks a language of its own.

The grid and the comic book style

Bliss helped set the style of the promotional artwork of the series, IGN writes. That style leans on comic books and uses the grid that has become the trademark of GTA. It moves Bliss that this heritage lives on.

Bliss also points to other artists at Rockstar, such as Anthony Macbain and Steven Olds. Bliss does not claim a large share in the new cover.

The longer interview

In the full interview with IGN, Bliss also talks about the cover of GTA III and how the attacks of 11 September 2001 influenced it. The styles of Vice City and San Andreas come up too.

Who designed the cover of GTA VI, IGN does not say. Grand Theft Auto VI comes out on 19 November for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.