It has been almost 13 years since Grand Theft Auto 5, and almost eight years since Red Dead Redemption 2. And it feels like that long, if not longer.
Rockstar Games is definitely taking its time to polish Grand Theft Auto 6, which is great, because this is likely the most anticipated video game in this or any lifetime. It might be the most anticipated entertainment launch ever, period. It needs to be a hit, and likely will be, regardless of how it’s initially received.
But at the same time, wow. GTA 6 has been in full development since shortly after RDR2’s launch, but early conceptual work likely started way sooner, potentially in 2014 already. When GTA 6 finally launches on November 19 (we hope), it will have been about the same time in full development as RDR2, so players expect that same level of obsessive detail. Leaks suggest it will be similar, with one person claiming to be a former dev stating that there are “hundreds of thousands” of situational NPC dialogue lines in the files.
GTA and Rockstar fans have been talking again lately (because talk is all we have until the game is out) after the LinkedIn profile of another former Rockstar Games graphics programmer got some attention. This unknown person listed in their resume that they worked on GTA 6 “on the next generation procedural breakable glass system for vehicles and props.” That info has since been removed.
Basically, it sounds as though if you break glass in GTA 6, it will happen procedurally, and not in a set way like in GTA 5 or other games, for example. And that’s wild to think about, isn’t it? That level of attention to the most minute details is what sets Rockstar apart as a studio, and it’s part of why the studio’s games are so beloved and successful.
RDR2’s wild level of detail is constantly compared to new releases, most recently Crimson Desert and Resident Evil Requiem, but I can’t help but wonder how much faster a game like GTA 6 could be made if it didn’t have to include the absolute most when it comes to small, interesting, next-level additions.
Let’s operate under the assumption that the massive amount of minor details in Rockstar’s games adds to their time in development. Do we really need to see actual railroad spikes being slammed into the ground? Do we need to see horse testicles shrink in cold weather? How much dev time and manpower is spent on something like that?
Many would argue that it’s worth it to have these incredible details because it’s what makes locations like Vice City, New Hanover, or Los Santos so special. But these extended periods of development time also create some impossibly high expectations, and an unfathomable accompanying cost that needs to be recouped multiple times over.
I guess the question I pose to all of you is, would you rather have GTA 6 sooner with a bit less immersion, or are all of the years of waiting and over $2 billion in development costs worth it? I used to think not, but I’m leaning toward the latter now. I do think (and hope) it’s worth it, especially as we get closer to the release and most of the years are already behind us, but also because these games feel like massive pop culture events as opposed to normal releases.
Most players would agree that it would be very cool to have more Rockstar games more often, but then, would they feel as monumental? Probably not. And so hopefully, eight or so years from now, we’ll still be discovering new minor details in GTA 6’s Vice City.
