GTA 6 – why so long?

It seems even the most devoted fans are already admitting to the development GTA 6 took a little longer. More than a decade has passed since the release of the last game in the series, and several insiders are tired of making mistakes about the timing and release dates. Meanwhile, the studio itself remained deathly quiet – to this day. On November 8, 2023, one of the founders of Rockstar Games, Sam Houser, published an official letter in which he promised to release a trailer for the company’s 25th anniversary, that is, in early December. In honor of this undoubtedly important event, we decided to discuss whether the ten-year wait is justified and why development has taken so long.

Grand Theft Auto 5 was a hit at the time. The game has been re-released several times and is still making money. The point is that Rockstar Games has managed to reinvent the genre it essentially created. The new GTA remained unchanged in the main mechanics and had no analogues. This was reflected in everything: the scale of the open world, the elaboration of the main and secondary tasks, interesting and unusual characters, a full-fledged living sandbox and many smaller details, which, even if they were found in previous projects, were now reaches a completely new level of quality. The online mode also played an important role in its success, which seemed to fulfill absolutely all the fans’ dreams.

However, the re-release of Grand Theft Auto 5 for current-generation consoles was received coolly by gamers. The developers were criticized for being mean-spirited and trying to resell the same game. In addition, an unprecedented amount of information about GTA 6 was leaked. Entire chunks of gameplay fell into the hands of the public, which was a real shock to the company. It’s hard to say if the leak really happened without the knowledge of Rockstar Games, there are too many blind spots in this matter, but the fact remains that people were introduced to the new game for the first time, and not everyone liked what they did. saw.

We won’t go into all the details; we have a separate article about the leaked data. Let’s just say there were some controversial decisions announced in the game. And the graphics did not blow the imagination, although this was not the final version.

Some saw the new Red Dead Redemption 2 with cars, others noted that the game is mechanically the same fifth part. We are sure this response did not go unnoticed by the studio. More effort needed to be put into making GTA 6 truly exceptional. In his letter, Sam Houser noted that the team once again wants to reach a new level for both itself and the entire industry. It seems that this is the main reason for the delayed development. But what exactly can you change about an established concept to really make an impression?

It seems that the developers have decided to strike a balance between expanding the scale in breadth and in depth. The events will take place in Vice City, this is already almost 100 percent known. However, they will also add an important piece with a diverse character. It is still difficult to judge whether there will be multiple cities in the game, but here something else is more important.

According to a Reddit user, Rockstar Games is actively using a number of systems and settings that will make the environment truly alive. ProceduralMotion allows you to use dynamic animations in your game that respond to different situations in the game world. This makes residents active participants in all events; they are no longer just static dummies.

There are also a number of other options: EmotionalLocoRequests, Expressions and Gesture. They are all responsible for realistic facial expressions and reactions according to the situation. The AnimalIntelligence system should provide a new level of intelligence in animals, and its most interesting feature – ALMemory – will allow NPCs to remember your actions and behave accordingly.

Full stealth is also added to the game. In any case, this conclusion can be drawn from the fact that heroes can move half-sitting or lying down, as well as stun and drag non-lethal bodies. This means that you have the choice of how you want to complete this or that task.

Together with the innovations described above, we should get not just a game, but an almost living world, which will be individual for each gamer. If you enjoy crushing everyone left and right, you get a more complex action movie where the heroes are left without support. And if you get used to doing it without unnecessary sacrifices, you will discover new allies and the approval of the townspeople.

Now that we’ve accomplished all this, it’s becoming clear that development could take fifteen or even twenty years, because no one has ever done anything like this completely.

It’s still a month until the real first impressions of GTA 6 (when the first trailer or teaser is shown), but we recommend that you hope for the best. If Rockstar Games’ development has taken this long, it’s because there’s something incredible in store for us. The delays are understandable and the studio’s silence seems a better tactic than many promises, half of which never see the light of day.