GTA 5 DLC Takes Aim at Google, the Future is Now

The latest update for Grand Theft Auto V added a new series of story missions based around a not-so-subtle jab at Google (and, also, Amazon).

Rockstar Games just released what is possibly the largest content update for Grand Theft Auto V so far, titled A Safehouse in the Hills.

Although the content update doesn’t add any new story missions to the single-player side of things, it did add some new story missions for Grand Theft Auto Online players to enjoy (including one that brings back GTA V protagonist Michael De Santa).

One of the new missions, titled KnoWay Out, tasks players with assisting an overly paranoid man by the name of Avi Schwartzman in taking down a "shadowy surveillance network" of self-driving SUVs known as KnoWay, a tech start-up that’s funded by a company known as Sahara.

Players will have to force their way “into one of KnoWay’s test pods” in a bid to ruin their reputation and “derail their plan to automate the LS train system” by securing “incriminating documents”, which all sounds like pretty standard fare for a Grand Theft Auto game to me.

The story missions aren’t the only way you’ll encounter KnoWay’s self-driving cars though, as players have reported that the vehicles can now be spotted roaming around GTA Online’s map.

Official promo art for the new GTA Online update A Safehouse in the Hills, Rockstar Games

Unfortunately, you can’t get into them and drive them yourself, but you can apparently blow them up and earn a bunch of money by doing so.

Sounds fun enough, but what exactly does any of this have to do with Google?

As several players have pointed out online, both KnoWay and its parent company Sahara are actually references to both Google and Amazon.

The Amazon one is pretty straightforward– Amazon is a reference to the moist Amazon rainforest, whereas Sahara is an obvious play on this (referencing the Sahara desert).

The KnoWay one is slightly more complex, however. KnoWay is seemingly a parody of Waymo, an autonomous driving company owned by Alphabet Inc.

Alphabet Inc is Google’s parent company, and the design of the KnoWay cars seems to be heavily inspired by the design of Waymo’s self-driving vehicles.

Also, Google has been heavily criticised for its data collection practices as of late, and the KnoWay Out missions reveal that the company has been using all the data it's collecting to spy on the folks who live in Los Santos.

Y’know, this is starting to make me wonder if Grand Theft Auto VI keeps getting delayed because the writers at Rockstar Games are struggling to keep up with the ever-building insanity that is modern American politics.

At this point, GTA V is starting to feel more normal than real life…