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GTA Online is supposed to be getting its next-gen Expanded & Enhanced edition (E&E) re-release in March, but information on what, precisely, this new version of the game might entail is still scarce. According to a Rockstar-focused industry insider, however, exclusive clothing items are one of the new goodies that returning players should expect to see.
Grand Theft Auto 5's single-player campaign may have been a major success for Rockstar Games, but it was its multiplayer offshoot, Grand Theft Auto Online, that skyrocketed the game's longevity. The developer does not seem to be particularly keen on sharing what's coming as part of the game's third major launch event, though reliable insiders do have some insight on what to expect.
Namely, the latest revelation about GTA Online comes from Tez2, a well-known and well-established Rockstar leaker. According to him and WildBrick142, who had previously leaked scrapped GTA Online content, the next-gen build of Grand Theft Auto Online is going to offer all-new, exclusive clothing options for players that transfer their characters from the game's previous generational releases. These items should be appropriately tagged as "Gen 9 Exclusive," according to data.
Tez2 was careful to note that the game would probably feature a number of other bonuses for returning players, which would be a decent way to recoup some of the goodwill that may have been lost when Rockstar announced it would be shutting down GTA Online on PS3 and X360. For a more concrete look at what, exactly, the Expanded & Enhanced version of Grand Theft Auto Online would bring, players will need to wait a bit longer, it seems.
It's not strange that Rockstar would attempt to keep GTA Online going for as long as possible since history has shown that the player base simply adores the game. The title of the re-release certainly seems to imply grander additions than some new clothes and improved graphics would suggest. At the same time, the fact that GTA 6 was recently trending again shows that it may be time for the series to move on at last.
This being the third generation of consoles that Grand Theft Auto Online and its single-player counterpart, GTA 5, are getting officially released on, the game's considerable community seems to be torn between excitement for potential new content rendered at a higher visual fidelity, and the fact that GTA Online first came out 2013. March is not far ahead, and with information on major new additions being as slim as it is, it remains to be seen what Rockstar Games may have in store.
Grand Theft Auto Online is currently available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One platforms, with its next-gen version set to launch on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles in March 2022.