Support NeoGAF

[cormack12]

Very little news from a very little man.

Schreier is hardly ever wrong

Dunno if this is /s, but how can he be 'wrong'? There's nothing of substance here. The usual 'crunch crying' for most of the article, which Rockstar has failed to comment on and we have to trust his disgruntled anonymous sources, most of whom have left. What's actually committed to here?

GTA VI will be a moderate sized game - but still a large game
GTA VI will get patches and updates over time
GTA VI is still early in development
Despite this article and what I've just told you about crunch changing we won't know until crunch time comes to ship the game. Despite it being much more modertaely large, and having patches after release ⁉
Phones were locked away during QA testing - I wonder if that's because every phone has a camera......and why Rockstar had a good record with leaks

Well fuck me. Stop the presses, this guy has his finger on the exact pulse. So many specifics, so many! Read it back and determine what's actually been committed to. What facts, timelines, timescales, corrobative events beyond a 'source'? It's like when you'd come in on Monday to school and have to write what you'd been up to at the weekend and filled the gaps in pure shite.

What is 'moderate' - where is the context?
How will these patches and updates be different to RDR2 and GTA VI? How will they differ from other AAA games?
How early in development? Months, Years?

The guy is a charlatan. Do not mistake insight for being a megaphone for certain 'types' of employees. Let's see him do exactly the same as he did to ND when GTA VI ships. It's clear he speaks to the melodramatic Jonathan Coopers of this world

As Naughty Dog Crunches On The Last Of Us II, Developers Wonder How Much Longer This Approach Can Last

Some developers at Naughty Dog continue to ask themselves a question that has haunted the studio for years: Is it worth it?

kotaku.com

Ex-Naughty Dog animator: "ND's games success is due in large part to Sony's deep pocket funding delays rather than skill alone"

Just goes to show that while sonys first party maybe on top now, it is far from guaranteed that sonys first party will remain the best. Full series:

www.neogaf.com

 

[killatopak]

I remember many of us panicking about the state of sp in RDR2. Let's wait and see for the official announcement.

Remember when GTA games used to have story DLC/expansions?

instead we got MP updates.

 

[Droxcy]

They always say this like oh it's a far ways out then we'll get a random logo drop with a trailer to follow. Then a 6 month delay followed by a 3 month.

 

[LemmingWithaParachute]

With Dan Houser leaving Im not expecting much.

 

[petran79]

GTA6 need to be outside America

Time for a change

Fictional Cuba, Havana, Mexico or something like that would be nice

As long as the characters speak exclusively in Spanish with regional dialects

 

[ArcaneNLSC]

So 4 hour story single player and focus on monthly online dlc content releases with everything requiring you to spend $1 million+ in ingame currency to buy a warehouse, factory, club or bunkers to activate/unlock that new dlc

 

[German Hops]

Gotdamn, we'll be playing GTA V content for the next 10 years

 

[jackets with pockets]

As long as the single player campaign is still a decent length then I'm good

Rockstar needs to seriously improve their single-player campaign missions. GTA V had quite a forgettable campaign and the missions felt largely clumsy in how they were made.

I haven't played Red Dead Redemption 2 so I don't know if they've actually managed to improve on that.

 

[jts]

Honestly I wouldn’t even be mad if they cut down the story almost entirely or release it in episodes, and just give us a more interactive and user costumizable sandbox. Almost like an adult Animal Crossing.

 

[darkinstinct]

Long awaited news on Grand Theft Auto 6 is still a ways off, according to a newly published article from Kotaku's Jason Schreier.

In a article updating the cultural changes occuring at the top levels of Rockstar, some development information about GTA6 is casually dropped;

"One plan that management has laid out for the next game, a new entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, is to start out with a moderately sized release (which, by Rockstar’s standards, would still be a large game) that is then expanded with regular updates over time, which may help mitigate stress and crunch. "



So a smaller GTA6 at release then we're used to, when it does launch. However, it's then mentioned that the game is still "in the early stages of development" and that when it begins wrapping up, it's possible things may change regarding crunch and required hours.


I'll be honest with you -- I don't really care a whole lot about the cultural changes at Rockstar -- I just want them to continue being possibly the best development studio out there. And this news about GTA6 being so early digs a bit. "Early" in a Rockstar development cycle could mean we'll be waiting realistically 7 more years for the game to release, probably another 4-5 years until we hear details or it's even announced. And with the recent departure of their main creative lead & writer Dan Houser, it could be an even longer wait.

18 Months After Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar Has Made Big Cultural Changes

Last fall, nearly a year after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2, top Rockstar executive Jennifer Kolbe sent out an email to staff with a list of bullet-pointed initiatives to improve Rockstar’s culture.

kotaku.com

What do you guys think?

I always expected it to be a late next gen title. They want an install base. 2025 is my guess. But I don't believe that part of a smaller size one bit.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Remember when GTA games used to have story DLC/expansions?

instead we got MP updates.

I know and it sucks, doesn't change the fact that the singleplayer campaign in RDR2 was big and it justified the full price even if (like me) you didn't even launch RDR Online.

 

[Geki-D]

I always expected it to be a late next gen title. They want an install base. 2025 is my guess. But I don't believe that part of a smaller size one bit.

2025 Seems a bit late to me because all rumours seem to point to them wanting something out faster than in the past, but yeah I doubt we'll see a new GTA before at least 2023. If anything I'm actually expecting them announce a next gen port of GTA5. Can't pass up on that GTA Online money.

 

[Strife In a Teacup]

Ah yes, Early Access GTA. Pay more for less. Hope for quality updates to validate more spent upfront. Oh, and more microtransactions than ever before.

Which means a short campaign tacked on with primary focus on multiplayer. GTA6's campaign could end up being like like Fortnite's 'Save the World' mode.

If there was ever a time for THQ Nordic to actually do something with the Saints Row license other than remaster 3...

 

[Myths]

No need to hurry, I just hope it looks and runs better than this:


Despite the FPS and other minor graphical limitations, this is still pretty damn good looking.

 

[New Yorks Finest]

This confirmed by timdog or klondike bar whatever tha f his name is. I never read such nonsense.

A smaller project bu..but will be out in 15years. This joint the very least supposed to hit E3 stages by now (digital broadcasting I know)

 

[rofif]

It can be 20h instead of 50. IT's ok...

 

[bad guy]

Yeah I too would say it's still in early development just to get entitled gamers off my dick. (where's MY gta!?)

 

[joe_zazen]

Dunno if this is /s, but how can he be 'wrong'? There's nothing of substance here. The usual 'crunch crying' for most of the article, which Rockstar has failed to comment on and we have to trust his disgruntled anonymous sources, most of whom have left. What's actually committed to here?

GTA VI will be a moderate sized game - but still a large game
GTA VI will get patches and updates over time
GTA VI is still early in development
Despite this article and what I've just told you about crunch changing we won't know until crunch time comes to ship the game. Despite it being much more modertaely large, and having patches after release ⁉
Phones were locked away during QA testing - I wonder if that's because every phone has a camera......and why Rockstar had a good record with leaks

Well fuck me. Stop the presses, this guy has his finger on the exact pulse. So many specifics, so many! Read it back and determine what's actually been committed to. What facts, timelines, timescales, corrobative events beyond a 'source'? It's like when you'd come in on Monday to school and have to write what you'd been up to at the weekend and filled the gaps in pure shite.

What is 'moderate' - where is the context?
How will these patches and updates be different to RDR2 and GTA VI? How will they differ from other AAA games?
How early in development? Months, Years?

The guy is a charlatan. Do not mistake insight for being a megaphone for certain 'types' of employees. Let's see him do exactly the same as he did to ND when GTA VI ships. It's clear he speaks to the melodramatic Jonathan Coopers of this world

As Naughty Dog Crunches On The Last Of Us II, Developers Wonder How Much Longer This Approach Can Last

Some developers at Naughty Dog continue to ask themselves a question that has haunted the studio for years: Is it worth it?

kotaku.com

Ex-Naughty Dog animator: "ND's games success is due in large part to Sony's deep pocket funding delays rather than skill alone"

Just goes to show that while sonys first party maybe on top now, it is far from guaranteed that sonys first party will remain the best. Full series:

www.neogaf.com

He has a way of getting sources in companies and he doesn't kowtow to megacorp PR. He is a rock solid source despite what xbox discord and Breitbartians have to say. He is also a self righteous, judgemental Manhattanite with a dash of narcissism that has chosen to devote his life to videogame writing (lol).

anyway, the takeaway from this article is that R* has transitioned from being a Unique company that reflected the idiosyncratic personality of its founder(s), to a modern bureaucratic business. So expect more EA/ActiBlizz/MS behaviour than Valve type uniqueness.

What that means for single player traditional R* games? Well, trad bureaucratic management is about ROI and risk mitigation. GtTAO is obviously waaaaaaay more profitable than gta single player, and the revenue stream is constant. That is where the talent will go.

And the internal culture of the studios will be like the rest of the giant American corps with all the touchy feely honey that millennials are drawn to (environmentalism + progressive gloss), because that is how you attract and retain talent in 2020. It is a sham of course, as they work for billionaires, bankers, and psychopaths making psychologically manipulative software. But having the rainbow flag on the door and parking lot charging stations gets them to stay.

The only question is whether they split and make gtaonline its own thing. Or whether they keep them tied together. If they keep them tied to a full priced game, then yeah, they will need to make good single player content. If it gets split, and you end up with ESO/ES or FO/FO76 situation...well, dont expect gtavi single player to be the main focus, just like how Bethesda has shifted resources into their GAAS multiplayer offerings.

 

[Loke]

By the time GTA7 is out we'll all be in a nursing home.

 

[Dr.Morris79]

gta is primarily a multiplayer game now. That is where money and talent is.

And thats where I'll wave it goodbye I guess.

 

[Frito_Pendejo]

Man that sucks. I’ve played through GTA V like four times. By far my favorite game of the last 10 years. I really don’t wanna wait another 7 years.

 

[xrnzaaas]

Which means a short campaign tacked on with primary focus on multiplayer. GTA6's campaign could end up being like like Fortnite's 'Save the World' mode.

If there was ever a time for THQ Nordic to actually do something with the Saints Row license other than remaster 3...

THQ doesn't make huge AAA games, don't expect too much if a brand new Saints Row game is made. Even Ubisoft wasn't able to achieve the same level of detail and scale with Watch Dogs.

 

[LemmingWithaParachute]

THQ doesn't make huge AAA games, don't expect too much if a brand new Saints Row game is made. Even Ubisoft wasn't able to achieve the same level of detail and scale with Watch Dogs.

Juiced 1 was more indepth than NFS Underground imo.

 

[Geki-D]

By the time GTA7 is out we'll all be in a nursing home.

lol Not sure about that but we'll seriously be round 15+ years older than we are now. Pretty crazy when you think about it, some of us will be middle aged by then.

 

[Gamernyc78]

Yeah idk, Rockstar's model is increasingly unsustainable.. you take 10 years to make a game, and you need 10 months to play it if you're a normal busy adult.. No Man's Sky and Fallout 76 could make the most sense for the future, even if they're bad role models - get core game systems in place and gradually build onto them..

I don't know how Ubisoft cranks out so many huge games, except that they don't have Rockstar's attention to detail and they don't overthink it - spam a bunch of locations and repetitive activities and fetch quests.. In the end, I'm not sure even AC Origins has less going on than GTA 5.. The difference is that Houser et al. obsess over details of plotting and atmosphere and style.. something halfway between Ubisoft's quasi-spamming new open worlds and going full Kubrick is is probably ideal.

How is it unsustainable? Ten years later and ppl are still pouring millions a year into GTA V. My son still plays it daily. It's basically a game as a service. What they are saying is no different than what thy did with GTAV except talking about making it smaller. The GTAV you see today is nowhere near the GTAV they released initially, thy've added and built tons more through the years. Shit, online wasnt a component untill months after.

 

[joe_zazen]

.
.

How is it unsustainable? Ten years later and ppl are still pouring millions a year into GTA V. My son still plays it daily. It's basically a game as a service. What they are saying is no different than what thy did with GTAV except talking about making it smaller. The GTAV you see today is nowhere near the GTAV they released initially, thy've added and built tons more through the years. Shit, online wasnt a component untill months after.

single player stuff?

 

[cormack12]

He has a way of getting sources in companies and he doesn't kowtow to megacorp PR. He is a rock solid source despite what xbox discord and Breitbartians have to say.

 

[SurprisedPikachu]

I don’t believe a god damn thing anyone at Kotaku says about anything. They’re a bunch of cum guzzling lying cunts.

 

[Sosokrates]

This is good, the biggest downside of GTA games is that they release this massive game, you play it non stop for a month until you have completed it then you have no more story for another 6-7yrs.

I hope they fundimentaly change this concept.

GTA5's main story took about 30hrs

If GTA6 is gunning for about 36hr story, I think they should release the game with just 18hrs, and release the other 18hrs a year later.

GTA has always tried to mimic a "living breathing world" well now we are at a point technologically where things in the game world can be updated. E.g vegetation grows buildings decay, litter builds up.

 

[Strife In a Teacup]

THQ doesn't make huge AAA games, don't expect too much if a brand new Saints Row game is made.

Oh, don't worry, I'm not holding my breath.

 

[Birdo]

Vice City Remake.

It will just be the first two hours of the game stretched out to take 30 hours.

 

[hyperbertha]

**** GTA online. Pretty sure its the main reason Rockstar games are taking so darn long these days. They are turning into Valve with their money printing machine letting them stay complacent for years on end.

And Dan Houser leaving isn't good for GTA at all. He is the one responsible for the top notch writing and whoever replaces him is unlikely to be as good. Hope I'm wrong.

 

[Skyr]

I don't buy any of this for now.. I seriously doubt it's only supposed to be in "early stage development"

 

[butman]

Well this is just shit.

We went THE ENTIRE GEN without a new GTA game. GTA 5 launched at the end of the PS3 and 360 gen.

I'm genuinely surprised that they didn't have GTA6 ready for later this year for the Xbox one and PS4. Then they could have released a next gen and PC version in 2021. They did exactly this last gen and it worked out insanely well.

Yeah yeah "take your time and get it right" Bla bla. GTA 5 released in 2013. Haven't they taken enough time yet?

So we've already waited for 7 years, are being told to wait a lot longer still, and after all that waiting be prepared for a smaller GTA game than usual.

Great /s

Do you want prettier and bigger games?
Welcome to next-gen. Where games will take way longer to develop than the current one.

I wouldn't be surprised at all that in the next one we will don't get the complete version of FF XVI.

Oh and forget about a new RED DEAD game until at least the next decade.

 

[GriffinCorp]

I would have thought that this game would have been closer to completion than early stages. 2013 seems so long ago, I know it will be worth the wait, I'm hoping for 2022. This way they will had time to really dive in and learn the newer hardware.

 

[abcdrstuv]

How is it unsustainable? Ten years later and ppl are still pouring millions a year into GTA V. My son still plays it daily. It's basically a game as a service. What they are saying is no different than what thy did with GTAV except talking about making it smaller. The GTAV you see today is nowhere near the GTAV they released initially, thy've added and built tons more through the years. Shit, online wasnt a component untill months after.

I mean the epic extraordinarily detailed and fine-tuned worlds, behaviors, writing, staging.. No idea how a single-player narrative open-world game will work if it's built gradually.. do you release 1-2 sections of the map and leave the rest closed off? Sandbox-style options, basic gameplay loops, and the missions accumulate episodically? I guess it could work, but their brand and selling point have been knock-out blockbuster narrative games..

Is GTA VI going to start out like GTA Online? It's actually compatible with the existing rumors - when there are supposed to be multiple cities, multiple eras, and "empire-building" - start with a less than huge map, minimal narrative, a bunch of cyclical stuff to do, and release expansions, do serial storytelling, add in more characters, whatever..

 

[imsosleepy]

they have not added any single player content to gta 5. only multiplayer. why not just make it multiplayer only from the start while they are at it

 

[joe_zazen]

you no think famous progressive Anti corporate journo has progressive anti corporate sources in game dev?

 

[xrnzaaas]

Juiced 1 was more indepth than NFS Underground imo.

You're talking about past THQ, I'm talking about current one (THQ Nordic). Look at their recent releases - Darksiders 3, Darksiders Genesis, Spellforce 3 or DCL aren't big titles.

Fyi I'm not saying this is a bad thing, I like that we have a big publisher that specializes in medium sized games. Adds more variety.

 

[cormack12]

you no think famous progressive Anti corporate journo has progressive anti corporate sources in game dev?

No idea what you're trying to say here. Although sources.....

 

[GlassAwful]

If the prior rumors had anything to them this next GTA was getting too big for its britches anyway. An entire coastline and flying back and forth to cuba? While also spanning decades of changing assets....

Maybe GTA6 is getting split into multiple games which each sequel adding a new city to travel to while moving the story forward a decade each. Or maybe its going episodic.

I mean this is the only way the game they were describing in those leaks could come out with the attention to detail we expect.

Also I think the early development talk is just subjective. I'm guessing it will be a 2022 initial release with the bulk of the game done followed by episodes/sequels every 2 years.

 

[joe_zazen]

No idea what you're trying to say here. Although sources.....

edit: guy was referencing JS’ 2020 PREDICTIONS, you know, making a guess about what you think might happen. Those arent leaks.

 

[cormack12]

edit: guy was referencing JS’ 2020 PREDICTIONS, you know, making a guess about what you think might happen. Those arent leaks.

Face it, the guy is a charlatan. Keeps everything as vague as possible and when he gives anything that's remotely specific, the house of cards crumbles. We're not gonna agree, you keep reading him, I'll keep taking the piss.

 

[JareBear: Remastered]

"Smaller scale with regular updates," so kinda going episodic? I assume the updates will be free? Or no?

 

[WorldHero]

My guess is we're 2-3 years away? I'm sure Rockstar wants to get familiar with the final pieces of hardware, check next-gen online infrastructure (cloud too?), and wait for the new console market share to grow before launch. This also depends on if they launch GTA Online "2.0" with GTA VI or have it come later.

 

[Arkam]

Hmmm smaller size "to start out" you say.... sounds like we will get one (Vice) City and then others will come later? I could dig that if its episodic DLC and not some GaaS crap.

 

[eot]

GTA VI taking 7+ years
Elder Scrolls VI taking 9+ years

Jeesh, hopefully people are comfortable as this may turn into Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III dev times.

Taking 9+ years and it's still going to be a buggy mess I bet