GTA 3 was supposed to have multiplayer, but creating the foundation for an open world proved too difficult
Former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij has revealed that the studio was at some stage developing multiplayer for its 3D debut game Grand Theft Auto 3.
In response to a player’s question why the series abandoned multiplayer after GTA 2, Vermeij tweeted that he did develop multiplayer for GTA 3, but the project was never completed.
Since GTA 1 and 2 had multiplayer, we thought GTA 3 should have it too.
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ed multiplayer for gta3. Since gta1 & 2 had MP we thought gta3 should have it as well. The basic gameplay was working but there was too much to be done and we cancelled it. We tried again for Vice and failed. When SA came around we thought it was too late in the console…— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) May 22, 2024
However, adding multiplayer functionality while laying the foundation for an open world that would become the template for the next two decades of mainstream gaming proved too challenging.
The core gameplay worked, but there was too much work left to do, so we canceled the project. We tried again in GTA Vice City and it didn’t work. When it came time for GTA: San Andreas, we decided that it was too late in the console cycle and limited ourselves to co-op mode. For GTA 4 alone, we have dedicated enough coders and level designers to make this possible.
GTA Online is now the behemoth of a multiplayer experience that almost every other live service strives to achieve, but the studio’s back catalog of games is still supported by dedicated fan communities. For example, the Multi Theft Auto mod adds multiplayer functionality to all three PS2-era games, and Vermage himself noted that it’s “great to see the communities still so active” regarding unofficial online releases.
GTA 6 will be released in the fall of 2025 and there is no doubt that this game will revolutionize the gaming industry.