The recent announcement of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition has stirred up fans of the Grand Theft Auto franchise, as they're oft to do. Fans are curious about how the three Grand Theft Auto games may have been changed, about what kind of quality the experience will offer, and about who has been working on the bundle. Given the number of Grand Theft Auto fans out there, it's no surprise that they've found some answers, starting with development details.
In Rockstar's announcement of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition, the company surprised by confirming it wasn't actually Rockstar improving these games. Instead, it said the three Grand Theft Auto games were being updated by partner Grove Street Games. Grove Street, previously known as War Drum Studios, has worked on Grand Theft Auto ports for over 10 years, starting with Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' port to iOS in 2010. This revelation helped fans dig deeper into their questions.
Looking at employee LinkedIn profiles for Grove Street developers led fans to Thomas Williamson, the co-founder and owner of the studio. Williamson recently shared a post on LinkedIn following the announcement of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition in which he confirmed that Grove Street had spent the past two years working on the game, describing it as a "hard quiet effort" in collaboration with Rockstar Games.
Some fans had believed that Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition was being worked on by one of Rockstar's new teams, Rockstar Dundee, which was acquired in 2020 and renamed from Ruffian Games. The revelation that it's Grove Street producing the remasters has led many to question just what Rockstar Dundee is working on instead.
With confirmation that Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition is being worked on by Grove Street, some fans are voicing worries. Grove Street has worked on certain ports of past Grand Theft Auto games that have left some fans with bad tastes in their mouths. One port stands out, in particular, which is the port for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Some worry that since San Andreas is included in the trilogy release, it means quality could be below expectations.
Obviously, Grove Street has likely changed dramatically in the years since it ported Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas to iOS, Android, Xbox 360, and PS3. Plus, the scope of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition is much broader than a simple port. With that said, two years is a very quick development time. Here's hoping Rockstar has been especially supportive of the remakes' development.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Edition releases November 11 on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.