A new set of screenshots reveals more of the secretive Rockstar Games project Agent, with the artist in question claiming he was pulled off the game for GTA 5.

Even the biggest video game studios in the world have projects that they eventually have to sideline. Many suspected this was the case with Agent, a game that was at one point under development by Grand Theft Auto gurus Rockstar Games. The developer has remained tight-lipped over the game, but it seems as though screenshots of the title in-development have surfaced.

According to a post on Reddit, a number of screenshots and map assets have been revealed by the portfolio of a former Rockstar Games artist. The artist, who is called Darren Hatton, allegedly worked on Agent from June 2009 through to 2010, before being pulled from the project to work on map building for Grand Theft Auto 5. According to the artist's website, Hatton himself is unsure whether the game will ever see the light of day.

Hatton appears to have worked on a number of assets for the game, building art for a village including 3D environments and several maps of the area. Interestingly, the village designed appears to be very rural in nature, a far cry from the cities of Grand Theft Auto and closer in feel to the environments of fellow Rockstar Games stable mate Red Dead Redemption. A full gallery of images from Hatton's work on the in-development title can be found over on Imgur.

Although the screenshots do not look all that impressive by today's standards, it's intriguing to think of what Rockstar Games could have had planned based on the brief glimpses here. The images certainly look like they were created in the last console generation, which would fit with Hatton's claim that he worked on the game between 2009 and 2010. Meanwhile, some gamers may wonder how this setting would fit with Rockstar's tale of espionage.

Although the game has not been cancelled, many suspect that Rockstar Games may have run into delays during the development of the project. Initially revealed during E3 2009, a lot was promised of the title, with hope that the game could lead to the creation of another enthralling Rockstar franchise. Unfortunately, word has been suspiciously quiet on the title, meaning that Agent has become one of the most well-known games to be stuck in development hell.

All is not lost with regards to Agent, however. First of all, Rockstar has always been secretive over its in-development projects, and with the sheer amount of work put in to Grand Theft Auto 5 it was always going to be a struggle to keep a fresh intellectual property in the loop. Meanwhile, Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive registered two new trademarks for Agent back in 2013. Here's hoping that Agent will go on to see release.

Sources: Reddit, Darren HattonImgur