Next ‘Grand Theft Auto’ could be ‘moderately sized release’ with regular updates

The next ‘Grand Theft Auto’ could release in several stages, according to a new report. Image: Rockstar Games via AFP Relaxnews

As part of a studio overhaul, Rockstar Games is considering making the next “Grand Theft Auto” game a relatively smaller release built out over time, according to a new report.

Efforts to improve working culture at giant “Grand Theft Auto” and “Red Dead Redemption” developer Rockstar could involve a significant change in how the next “GTA” is released, per Kotaku.

“Grand Theft Auto V” debuted in 2013, with subsequent PlayStation 4 and Xbox One editions in 2014
and a PC version in 2015.

“Red Dead Redemption 2” then landed in 2018 on PS4 and XBO with a PC variant released in 2019.

Naturally, the expectation is that a new “Grand Theft Auto” will follow, though the report tells us it’s still early in development.

When a sixth core “GTA” arrives, it could well be as “a moderately sized release (which, by Rockstar’s standards, would still be a large game).”

Size and scope would then expand through “regular updates over time,” an approach that could help reduce stress and extended over time, the report contends.

Such a development model is already widely dispersed throughout the video game industry.

“No Man’s Sky” famously turned an arguably overambitious space exploration venture into a community experience populated with new and previously missing features thanks to four years spent delivering major updates for free.

Lavish multiplayer sci-fi space ninja escapade “Warframe,” free and powered by micro-transactions, has also significantly expanded its original scope with six big-ticket updates since emerging in 2013.

Others have championed a season-pass model that is intended to keep players involved and that supports longer-term, post-release development, with “Fortnite,” “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,” “Destiny 2” and “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege,” among them. CL /ra

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