Some New Things I Learned About Grand Theft Auto VI And Rockstar

Summary

This video shares development details about Grand Theft Auto VI and Red Dead Redemption 2 that Jason Schreier gathered while reporting a Bloomberg Businessweek story.

• A long development runway: Rockstar began planning GTA 6’s map around 2015, including research trips to Miami. A few artists worked on the map for more than 11 years, while much of the studio shifted to Red Dead 2 to build systems and technology that could later support GTA 6.
• A denser city and different driving feel: GTA 6’s roads are narrower than GTA 5’s, with denser traffic. Rockstar chose this direction early, knowing it would require more buildings and detailed construction around the roads. The goal is a less open, more traffic-filled driving experience.
• An interaction idea that shaped Red Dead 2: Animator Mark Tennant prototyped a system that let players greet or antagonize someone instead of simply aiming a weapon. The idea grew into Red Dead 2’s varied character-interaction system, which supports conversation and intimidation without immediately resorting to violence. Schreier says he does not know whether GTA 6 has a deeper version of the system.
• A difficult period of design uncertainty: From roughly 2019 to 2022, the team wrestled with how realistic GTA 6 should be and how much of Red Dead 2’s immersive systems to carry over. Some designers reportedly felt the project was stagnating, and some left. The game began coming together around late 2022 or early 2023. Its first trailer, released in December 2023, helped the team see the intended direction.
• The weapon wheel survived experimentation: Rockstar wanted a more limited, Red Dead-style weapon loadout rather than GTA 5’s ability to carry many weapons. The team considered alternatives to a weapon wheel for months or years, but ultimately returned to the wheel for the final game.
• A specially prepared gameplay showcase: Rockstar conceived a 27-minute gameplay presentation for Netflix rather than relying on its usual YouTube walkthrough format. The footage took substantial work to polish, but unlike some promotional demos, it was not throwaway work.
• On-the-ground Miami research: Developers took trips around Miami, including police ride-alongs and visits to areas they described as intimidating. Some artists photographed the city from a helicopter and ended up hovering over a Beyoncé concert. Technology executive Jonathan Ashcraft recalled that locals often volunteered stories about crimes they or their friends had committed.
• A much larger production operation: Rockstar grew from about 2,400 employees in 2018 to roughly 4,700 at the time of the report. The art-production team expanded from about five or six people on GTA 5 to 65 on GTA 6. More producers and tracking tools can help coordinate teams and estimate workloads, though they can also add bureaucracy and reduce the informality of a smaller studio.
• Room for unexpected details: Rockstar’s large games are built by many people, and no single developer has the entire game in their head. Individuals can add details they think are worthwhile—like the weather-responsive horse anatomy in Red Dead 2—so some in-game discoveries may even surprise senior developers.

People and Sources Featured

• Jason Schreier — Reporter and narrator
• Aaron Garbut — Art director and development lead
• Rob Nelson — Development lead
• Mark Tennant — Vice president of animation
• Phil Hooker — Development lead and technical executive
• Mark Adamson — Rockstar marketing executive
• Jen Kolbe — Rockstar publishing head
• Jonathan Ashcraft — Senior vice president of technology

Organizations and games discussed: Rockstar Games/Rockstar North, Bloomberg Businessweek, Netflix, Naughty Dog, Rebel Wolves, Grand Theft Auto V, Grand Theft Auto VI, and Red Dead Redemption 2.