Despite all the media backlash, the Grand Theft Auto games have become astounding successes, and today marks the 25th anniversary of the hit series. Pretty much since the beginning, developer Rockstar has been no stranger to controversy. Releases such as Bully, Manhunt, and of course GTA have been the subject of much contention, especially among concerned parents, politicians, and mainstream journalism that has sought to ban all sort of games over the years. However, their efforts were clearly for naught.
The flagship open-world series marches on with its head held high. With Grand Theft Auto 6 possibly releasing in 2024, there's still quite a wait ahead for the new entry, but the sheer amount of hype for it shows that the gaming community is nowhere near tired of this long-running franchise. Many will remember the very first installment that released way back when, and the fact that Rockstar's most lucrative asset has now turned a quarter of a century old may be a sobering thought to some.
On November 28, 1997, a small British game development studio called DMA Design unleashed Grand Theft Auto, and the company has not looked back since. Despite its much more simplistic visual style, complete with top-down perspective, and cartoony violence, this maiden release became one of the most talked about games in recent years, and not necessarily for all the best reasons. Seen by the media as nothing more than a glorification of the criminal underworld, GTA became the face of controversial pop culture due to its depiction of illegal activity, such as murder and carjacking. However, this only seemed to encourage sales, and in fact, the developer itself was responsible for using its ties to newspapers to feed some of the uproar about the game, which ultimately led to its success.
After a sequel in 1999, the series went on to release the third Grand Theft Auto in 2001, which changed gaming forever. Switching to a huge, fully 3D world, GTA became one of the most successful franchises in the industry, exploding in the AAA sphere. Then came Vice City which recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. It's hard to imagine that in such a short span of time, DMA Design, which eventually became Rockstar, had released so many games from its flagship franchise.
With Grand Theft Auto 5 being the most successful in the series and in fact one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, there's no denying the impact the GTA name has had on the industry. While many are beginning to grow impatient for the release of the next installment, it's pretty much a certainty that Rockstar's upcoming entry is going to be just as huge.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently in development.