Believe it or not, Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V is celebrating its decade mark this year. Consistently selling millions of copies every few months, its multiplayer mode–GTA Online–has been receiving regular updates and expansions on a weekly basis. Rockstar North design director Scott Butchard has taken the time to reminisce on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, saying that the team never anticipated what the game would become.
“When we embarked upon this journey, I don’t think any of us could have predicted that we’d still be going strong a decade later. The success of GTA Online has been beyond anything we could have ever imagined,” Butchard revealed to GamesRadar.
While other live-service titles have come and faded, GTA Online has remained steadfast. Lead designer Chris Bell divulged how GTA Online has managed to maintain its popularity, attesting that the game provides content that tantalizes a wide range of players. Meeting such high levels of demand is an ever-evolving challenge, and one that the team continues to strive to meet.
“Maintaining that kind of diversity, ensuring that the experiences that we
provide to our players are offering something new and exciting, while also
being accessible to both newcomers and veterans alike, is always at the
forefront of our minds,” Bell continued. “It’s a huge challenge, and one
that we hope to keep tackling for many years to come.”
Looking into the future, speculations are rife as to what will happen to GTA Online when Grand Theft Auto 6 comes out. While Rockstar developers remained mum on the subject, it is safe to anticipate that the upcoming title will have an online component, given the tremendous success GTA Online has achieved and its enduring popularity. As for the present, Butchard intimated that fans can look forward to further updates and novelties for GTA Online.
“We’ve got an array of innovative concepts being explored, from now until the yuletide celebrations of the year’s end – so keep your eyes peeled!” the developer commented.
GTA Online saw the light of day in October 2013, soon after the arrival of the base game in the September of the same year. A distinct version of the game was released in 2022, offered at a price tag of $20.
Rockstar Games has now officially begun development on the next title of the Grand Theft Auto series, the code name of which remains unknown. An extensive breach of confidential information has exposed a variety of images, video clips and an abundance of details about the game.
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