Grand Theft Auto Online has seen its fair share of pain and controversy over the years, but Rockstar has once again cemented their status as industry leaders by finally tackling one of its biggest issues with an all new eco-friendly feature: To help offset the city’s carbon emissions, the game’s developers will plant an in-game tree for every mile you drive.
“Rockstar has always been committed to the sustainability of our in-game world, and that’s why we’re launching all-new features like planting a tree for every mile driven, adding solar panels to the roofs of fast-food restaurants and strip clubs, and turning the Tongva Valley into an official wilderness preserve,” Rockstar spokesperson Michael DeVine told OGN, explaining that the development team went to great lengths to ensure the state of San Andreas scales back its environmental footprint, whether that means prioritizing carpooling or even holding green funerals for every person you kill.
It sure is refreshing to see a company that truly values protecting the environment!
“We wanted our players to have a clean conscience as they hijack, rob, and murder their way across the city, and that means tackling climate change in a big way,” said DeVine, noting that Rockstar was attempting to make amends for spending years putting millions of gas-guzzling cars on the streets of Los Santos. “So, we’ll be planting hundreds of thousands of trees in just the first few months, which will not just reduce carbon levels but also fight the air pollution and soil erosion that is such a threat to San Andreas.”
“Within the next five years, we hope to ensure that Grand Theft Auto Online will be completely carbon neutral,” he added.
Rockstar declined to comment on whether they were considering introducing a citywide economic mobilization in the vein of the Green New Deal, but given their excellent track record, it doesn’t seem too outside the realm of possibility!
