The impact of Rockstar Games cannot be understated. From Bully to Midnight Club and L.A. Noire to Manhunt, it has had quite a few hits under its belt. However, Rockstar slowly transitioned into focusing on its two biggest franchises: Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto. It may be somewhat heartbreaking sometimes to see what titles Rockstar Games has left behind, but it’s easy to see why.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is the most profitable entertainment product of all time, and that’s not hyperbole. Thanks to its fun single-player content and addictive GTA Online component (and the continued support thereof), GTA 5 has topped sales charts continuously since its original release 8 years ago. GTA Online has bred a community, expanded content, led to serious RP servers, and more, as many continue to flock to it to this day.
On the other hand, Red Dead Redemption 2 is slightly different in this regard. While it does have Red Dead Online, which has come a long way since it launched, it’s not as popular as the base single-player game. Red Dead 2 is hailed as another major notch on Rockstar’s belt, but that’s because players keep returning for the single-player content. Multiple playthroughs lead to new discoveries, mysteries are continuously investigated and some are even resolved, and all the small details make Red Dead 2’s single-player much more involved than Grand Theft Auto 5.
With these two distinct, yet successful approaches, there are some big questions about Grand Theft Auto 6 fans won’t see answered for a while. Will it focus on online, multiplayer content like GTA 5, seeking to replicate that success? Will it shift GTA to a more Red Dead-like experience? Could Rockstar even try to manage both?
Grand Theft Auto 6 Development and Single-Player
The fact that next to nothing is known about GTA 6 makes it hard to determine. Reportedly, however, there is one key thing known about its development: it's incremental. To correct its crunch-focused workplace culture, GTA 6 will reportedly release moderate-sized and be continuously expanded in a service-style model.
This approach inherently makes long-form storytelling as seen in Red Dead 2 less likely, per Arthur Morgan actor Roger Clark. Imagining a piecemeal release of Red Dead Redemption 2's story makes why somewhat obvious, as the time between could make each story beat have less and less impact due to the wait. With this in mind, there’s almost no way that GTA 6’s story would be similar to Red Dead 2, but this model would still work for a game like GTA 5 in terms of style and tone.
Thankfully, while Red Dead 2’s story itself is a clear draw to the game, there are other factors to consider. The community-oriented mysteries and new discoveries may actually benefit from incremental development; Rockstar could introduce things that won’t be solved right away, keeping players coming back. Rockstar could add in or change mysteries as the game proceeded, assuming these reports are correct. Indeed, by incrementally releasing new single-player content, GTA 6 could be more like Red Dead 2 in this regard, but there’s a catch.
Rockstar Games hasn’t really focused on single-player DLC in quite some time. Not that this method is necessarily DLC, per se, but that once it finishes with the planned single-player content, that begs the question if there will be enough mystery to keep players coming back like Red Dead 2. On the other hand, Grand Theft Auto 6 will almost certainly include its own GTA Online additions or growth. Well, unless Rockstar intends to support GTA Online as its own thing for years to come—what with its upcoming standalone release and all.
Balancing GTA Online and GTA 6 Content
In this case, GTA Online could become the Call of Duty: Warzone of GTA content. GTA 6 assets, stories, characters, and more could be used to expand GTA Online, while letting GTA 6 be its own thing. This may very well slow releases down somewhat, but at the same time, this could make GTA 6 more like Red Dead 2 in its focus on single-player and community interactivity per design.
There’s almost no way GTA 6 will tell the same style of story as Red Dead 2, but there are certainly lessons in how to cultivate a successful single-player story. If Rockstar sets GTA Online off on its own, focuses on incrementally expanding GTA 6, and incorporating the elements of Red Dead 2 that added to its success, then it’s possible GTA 6 has a similar impact to Red Dead 2, while sacrificing none of the elements that make it successful in its own right.
Grand Theft Auto 6 is reportedly in development.