Grand Theft Auto IV marked a turning point in the history of the Grand Theft Auto series. The game moved away from its usual satirical mockery of American culture, taking a more serious approach to storytelling. This shift in tone, as it turned out, was one of the reasons for the technical director’s departure from the studio.
Obbe Vermeil, who served as Rockstar Games’ technical director during the development of GTA 4, shared his thoughts on the development of the series. According to him, the previous parts, from GTA 3 to San Andreas, were distinguished by a special atmosphere of fun. However, with the appearance of Niko Bellic, this changed.
In a conversation with SanInPlay, Vermeil admitted:
I really liked the previous games in the series. But when we took on GTA 4, in my opinion, it came out too serious and gloomy, bordering on depressive.
Reflecting on his reasons for leaving after finishing GTA 4, Vermeil cited several reasons. On the one hand, his wife, being Canadian, wanted to return to her homeland. On the other, he was disappointed that the new game had lost the lightness and fun of its predecessors.
Vermeil’s decision was also influenced by his concerns about the future of the series. He shared his thoughts on how he saw the future of GTA:
I assumed that the next part would be even darker. Fortunately, I was wrong. GTA 5 turned out to be much more fun than GTA 4. I clearly missed that prediction.
