Cancel Grand Theft Auto: Tokyo Could have been the first game in the series to be entirely focused on Japan. Former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij has revealed new details about the project, explaining how far Rockstar plans to go to create a game that’s unusual for the series.
Vermeil works on a key game from the formative years of modern GTA – GTA 3, Vice City, San Andreas and GTA 4so I directly observed how the further development of the series was discussed internally at Rockstar. In an interview with Thunderpick, he recalled a period in the early 2000s when the company was considering several foreign cities as filming locations for future GTA.
Vermeil said options included Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, Istanbul, London, Paris and Tokyo, but the Japanese capital was the most serious candidate. The project should be built around an already familiar formula grand theft auto 3rather than turning it into a radical experiment with the series’ mechanics. At the same time, the Japanese setting may also have a significant impact on the game’s arsenal: one of these features is the katana, which is planned to play a major role.
Interestingly, Rockstar North didn’t originally plan to make GTA Tokyo itself. The company hopes to transfer the technology and tools to another team, using the models it has already used to create bullying. Provided by Rockstar North vancouver rock star The necessary technology, including code and tools for the RenderWare engine, was then used by the Canadian studio to develop the game independently.
There are plans to do the same thing with GTA: Tokyo. Rockstar was supposed to transfer its technology to the Japanese studio, which would take over direct production on the project. This approach allows local developers to better convey the characteristics of Japanese culture and environment, rock star The finished game can then be adapted for international markets.
However, things never fully developed. Ultimately, no contract was signed with the potential Japanese developer, which is why the project remains in the preparation stage, Vermeij said. At the same time, the idea was serious enough that Rockstar executives discussed it. In particular, company co-founder Sam Houser came to northern rock star and discussed a possible Grand Theft Auto: Tokyo with the team. Producer Leslie Benzies was more directly involved with the concept.
Back in 2003, interest take two Similar projects have been indirectly confirmed: the company has filed an application for trademark registration Grand Theft Auto: Tokyo, GTA: Vice City and GTA: Bogota. However, the very existence of a trademark does not mean that the corresponding game is actually in active development.
Vermeil also dismissed widespread speculation that the idea for GTA: Tokyo came directly from the gangsters in GTA 3. According to him, Rockstar has no intention of simply moving the organization and its storyline to Japan. It’s about creating an independent game with a new setting.
Today, according to former developers, such a plan is much more difficult to pull off. In the early 2000s, Rockstar games were relatively small compared to modern blockbusters, requiring far less time and investment to develop. Now that GTA production has become a multi-year and extremely expensive process, making a big game for the company in a completely new country comes with even greater risks.
For comparison, budget grand theft auto 5 Excluding post-launch support, the estimate is approximately $137 million. Production grand theft auto 6According to the latest estimates, the cost could be about ten times higher. Against this backdrop, attempting a standalone GTA developed primarily outside of Rockstar’s main studio does seem like a more difficult decision.
Therefore, “GTA: Tokyo” does not only exist on the level of abstract concepts. Rockstar seriously discussed the Japanese setting, considered moving the project to a local studio, and even registered the corresponding trademark. But due to a lack of signed contracts, the concept never went into full production.