Maxim Rides & Food Delivery and its driver-partners have joined back-to-school initiatives in Batangas City, Mabalacat City and Zamboanga City ahead of the opening of classes for School Year 2026 to 2027.

The activities covered volunteer work under Brigada Eskwela, school maintenance support, donation of cleaning materials and distribution of basic school supplies to learners.

In Mabalacat City, Pampanga, Maxim took part in Brigada Eskwela at Mabiga Elementary School on 3 June 2026. The company said 190 Maxim riders volunteered for campus maintenance and improvement activities to help prepare the school for the new academic year.

In Batangas City, 21 Maxim riders joined Brigada Eskwela efforts at Alangilan Central Elementary School and Sampaga Elementary School, also on 3 June. The volunteers helped with school maintenance work and turned over school supplies and cleaning materials for students and teachers.

Maxim also carried out a school supply distribution program at Lanzones Elementary School in Zamboanga City. Riders distributed notebooks, pencils, rulers and other basic learning materials to students.

School officials, teachers, students and Maxim driver-partners attended the Zamboanga activity, which formed part of the company’s community support programs.

Maxim said the initiatives reflect its continuing support for education and community development in areas where it operates. The company also cited its other social programs, including disaster relief operations, clean-up drives and outreach activities.

Maxim launched in the Philippines in 2020, starting in Cebu. It has since expanded to more cities across the country and operates delivery services through its app platform.

The company is also a licensed transport network company authorized to pre-arrange passenger transport by car. In Metro Manila and Cagayan de Oro, Maxim has been included in the motorcycle taxi pilot program.

Rockstar Games is building Grand Theft Auto VI around a larger cast of criminals, hustlers, musicians, business operators, police, influencers and street figures across Vice City and the wider state of Leonida.

The story starts with Jason Duval, one of the game’s two lead characters. Jason is the man chasing easy street, but trouble keeps catching up. A former Army man, he now lives in the Leonida Keys and takes odd jobs for local drug runners. His strongest anchor is Lucia Caminos, the person who appears to keep him moving even as crime closes in around them.

Lucia Caminos enters the story fresh out and ready to fight. She is introduced after her release from Leonida Penitentiary, where she served time after fighting for her family. Her father taught her to fight at a young age, and her family history includes a move from Liberty City to Leonida. With Jason beside her, Lucia appears to be chasing a new start, though Vice City rarely gives anyone a clean one.

The cast expands through Brian Heder, the marina man with a side hustle. He is Jason’s landlord and one of the local drug runners in Leonida. By day, Brian operates Brian’s Boat Works and Marina. Behind that legal front, he runs a drug business and hires Jason as extra muscle. His role could pull Jason deeper into the criminal world before the bigger jobs arrive.

Jason’s local circle also includes Cal Hampton, the bar buddy with big suspicions. Cal is Jason’s friend and drinking companion at The Rusty Anchor. Described as casually paranoid and prone to conspiracy theories, he gives GTA VI a natural opening for Rockstar’s usual satire of American culture through Leonida’s Florida-inspired setting.

Vice City’s business and entertainment scene comes through Boobie Ike, the streetwise mogul. Once tied to the streets, Boobie has turned himself into a legitimate entrepreneur with interests in real estate, nightlife and music. His recording studio is part of his push to build Only Raw Records into a larger music empire.

Working with him is Dre’Quan Priest, the dealer eyeing the elite. He is a gangster, drug dealer and businessman who wants to use music as a path into Vice City’s higher circles. His partnership with Boobie Ike and Real Dimez could raise his profile, or drag him into a bigger fight for status and control.

Real Dimez adds street heat and studio buzz to the game’s world. The hip-hop duo, made up of Bae-Luxe and Roxy, started as high school friends before turning street image, social media and music into a career. Their first hit, DWNPLY, gives them momentum as Only Raw Records tries to turn them into breakout stars.

The heist side of GTA VI comes into focus through Raul Bautista, the man who raises the stakes. Raul is a veteran bank robber and one of Vice City’s criminal masterminds. His habit of escalating jobs means his crews often face more danger than planned. If Jason and Lucia are looking for a big break, Raul could offer the kind of score that changes everything, for better or worse.

Beyond the named characters, GTA VI fills Leonida with gangsters, police officers, influencers, gun store owners, partygoers and other residents. Some only appear briefly, but they help build the game’s version of Vice City as loud, risky, watched and ready to explode around Jason and Lucia.

Rockstar has not revealed every role yet, but the known cast already frames GTA VI as more than a return to Vice City. It is a story of partners, operators, performers, hustlers and criminals trying to climb in a place where every break comes with a cost.

Gamers expecting a major price jump for Grand Theft Auto VI got a more measured surprise when preorders opened Thursday.

Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two Interactive set the standard edition at about $80 in the United States, roughly $10 higher than the usual base price for many premium titles. The Ultimate edition costs $100 and comes with bonus content such as extra weapons and vehicles.

The price eased fears that the long-awaited title could launch at $100 for the base version, following reports that six years of development may have cost up to $2 billion. In Europe, the game is priced at 80 euros, while the UK price is £70. Japan’s PlayStation store lists it at 9,800 yen, with New Zealand and Australia showing similar pricing levels.

The bigger issue for some fans is the lack of a traditional disc. Physical editions sold in stores will include a download code inside the box, which likely means no game data on a disc. Some players said this could weaken or erase the second-hand market for the title. Two independent North American retailers, Video Games Plus and Loot Box Gaming, said they would not sell the game unless a disc version becomes available.

GTA VI is scheduled for release on November 19, unless delayed again. Players who preorder can download the game from November 12, but will only be able to launch it on the official release date.

The game brings players back to Vice City, Rockstar’s fictional version of Miami, inside the Florida-inspired state of Leonida. Its lead characters, Jason Duval and Lucia Caminos, are described as a Bonnie and Clyde-style pair caught in a criminal conspiracy.

Rockstar calls the title its “deepest and most immersive GTA experience yet.” It will be available only on latest-generation PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series consoles, promising higher detail and faster loading than its 2013 predecessor, GTA V.

The stakes are massive. GTA V sold 230 million copies, second only to Minecraft, and analysts expect GTA VI to become one of the biggest entertainment launches in history. Piper Sandler analysts expect around 45 million units to be sold by release.