An exciting revelation has left Grand Theft Auto fans in shock! In a recent interview, an ex-Rockstar Games employee revealed that Rockstar once tried to explore beyond the USA and considered cities like Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro, and Moscow. According to reports, one of the titles, GTA Tokyo, even came close to development before eventually being scrapped.
This shocking revelation arrives at a time when the entire gaming community is hyping about GTA 6 and reigniting the curiosity about whether the legendary open-world series could have ever left the United States.
GTA 6 launch is approaching, and the entire gaming world is eagerly waiting for the arrival of the biggest game of the decade. Recently, in an interview with GamesHub, Obbe Vermeij, the former technical director of Rockstar Games, revealed that Rockstar once seriously considered foreign cities. The studio even prepared genuine conversations, concept evaluations, and early planning discussions around international cities.
As per the interview, Tokyo was the closest choice, with talks of another studio potentially working with Rockstar’s codebase to develop the title. Though other cities like Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, and Istanbul were also part of the brainstorming phase, development of these titles never began.
However, Vermeij explained that, as development scale, costs, and risks grew massively over the years, the gaming giant didn’t take the risk of introducing unfamiliar geographies, cultures, and legal environments.
His statement reads, “I think it's unlikely it's going to be in Bogota next time, especially since there's just more and more money involved as the project gets bigger. It doesn't make sense to set it in some left-field location for novelty. GTA: Toronto? It just wouldn't work.”
Rockstar started the GTA franchise with a US background, and fans have accepted the settings beyond expectations. The huge popularity of the US-based storyline clearly suggests that, even if the studio has considered other cities, it has returned to US backdrops every time. Vermeij further adds, “When you’re dealing with projects of this scale, people naturally fall back on what they know will work. American cities are familiar to everyone, and that familiarity reduces risk.”
Another part of choosing US cities like Los Angeles or Miami is that these choices make storytelling easier and allow Rockstar to maintain its signature satirical take on American society. Cultural comfort, legal clarity, and brand identity are crucial for GTA games, and players can only have them when they return to US cities like Liberty City, Vice City and Los Santos.
Also Read: GTA 6 to Cost Rs. 9,000 in India? Rumoured Price Leap Sparks Outrage
With constantly rising expectations, the biggest question remains whether Grand Theft Auto will ever break out of America. For now, the chances appear next to impossible. With high development costs and a massive fanbase to satisfy, Rockstar has to limit the franchise to American cities.
The gaming scene has been evolving rapidly, and fans also hope to see new locations in GTA titles. Therefore, may also consider going out of its comfort zone and revisit its global dreams.