Rockstar Games has detailed how it plans to make even the background characters in Grand Theft Auto VI feel relevant to players exploring Leonida. That ambition extends to building Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos as a complementary duo, as well as using field research in Florida to shape the game's fictional state.

The comments came from members of Rockstar North, the Rockstar studio responsible for developing GTA VI, in an interview about the game's production. The conversation included Rob Nelson and Aaron Garbut, studio heads; Rupert Humphries, senior vice president of narrative; Michael Kane, vice president of art; James Horton, writing director; and writers Elizabeth Gauvey-Kern and Alexa D’Agostino.

Horton said that in the open world—a large map that players can freely explore—there is no true background. For the writing director, everything the player chooses to focus on should be capable of filling the scene, and every NPC, or non-player character, needs to give the impression that they're the protagonist of their own story.

The team assigned writers and production teams to the dialogue heard when passing pedestrians who aren't part of a mission, while the game world will also feature a large volume of radio and advertising. Development moves forward in eight-week cycles of reviews and adjustments after research, location selection, and the story's key points are organized in relation to the map.

In the story, Jason's material circumstances help explain his involvement in drug trafficking and bank robberies without settling the interpretation of his choices. Protagonists Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos form a duo in which she's described as the “engine” and he serves as the “brake.” Lucia grew up in Liberty City, a fictional city already known from previous games in the series, and was released from Leonida's penitentiary; Raul Bautista, an experienced robber, introduces them to bigger crimes and provides the local knowledge they lack in Vice City, Leonida's main fictional city, inspired by Miami.

The creation of Leonida included research trips to Miami, the Florida Keys, and Key West, as well as contacts with police officers, gang members, and local communities. This work helps explain the cultural, natural, and climatic contrasts between Vice City; Leonida Keys, a fictional archipelago inspired by the Florida Keys; Grassrivers, Port Gellhorn, Ambrosia; and Mount Kalaga, a mountainous region of the fictional state.

Grand Theft Auto VI is Rockstar Games' next game set in Leonida. It is scheduled to launch on November 19, 2026, for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.