Has Rockstar Games Changed for the Worse?

Rockstar Games is a true giant of the gaming industry. The company has released a lot of iconic titles since 1998. However, many companies have lost their reputation. Blizzard, Bioware and many others have been blamed for this. Some fans feel that Rockstar Games is not the same company today.

The company is criticised for the series that have been left behind, including Manhunt, Bully, Midnight Club. Many players are disappointed with GTA Online and GTA: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition, which are full of bugs and crashes.

Can Rockstar Games surprise gamers and critics again, or has its creative potential been exhausted? Let's find out.

The Team

In March 2020, Rockstar Games co-founder and scriptwriter of almost every game released, Dan Hauser, has left the company. Many fans of the studio's projects believe GTA won't be the same without him.

Also, producer and scriptwriter Lazlow Jones has left the studio in April 2020.

Rockstar Games will not disappoint the players despite the loss of such important employees. GTA 6 development began back in 2018, following the release of RDR 2. Its concept, story and characters could have been created with the help of studio veterans Dan and Lazlow.

Rockstar Games co-founder Sam Hauser has not left the company. And over its long history, the company has recruited many Grand Theft Auto fans who are capable of continuing the series in the right way.

GTA Online

There are a lot of memes about Rockstar Games not releasing GTA 6 while GTA Online is still on sale. In its almost decade-long history, the game has received numerous updates, improved versions for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, PC, Playstation 5 and Xbox Series. The re-released titles have been the subject of jokes among gamers, who are waiting for new projects from the developers.

Many fans don't realise the value of GTA Online to the franchise. There has been some very high level DLC released for the game. For example, The Cayo Perico Heist, which adds an entire tropical island to GTA Online. Los Santos Tuners DLC, dedicated to street racing and tuning. And The Contract update, which continues the story of Franklin from GTA 5 and introduces famous artists like Dr. Dre, Moodymann and others into the narrative.

Rockstar Games has added a lot of new tracks and hundreds of new vehicles, which could potentially be used in GTA 6. In addition, GTA Online is a unique project in the world of multiplayer entertainment. It's hard to find an online project of this level.

GTA: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition

The notorious GTA: The Trilogy — The Definitive Edition was released on October 8, 2021 and received a record low rating. Players started posting thousands of videos of bugs. Some of them blamed Rockstar Games for the problems they experienced.

Numerous bugs and crashes in GTA: The Trilogy were not the fault of Rockstar Games. The problems were caused by management's unfortunate decision to outsource development to Indian company Grove Street Games. The studio was supposed to release the game after a short development period, had very little experience and limited resources.

Despite active development on GTA 6, Rockstar Games helped fix a number of bugs in GTA: The Trilogy and participated in creating patches.

Red Dead Redemption 2

Critics frustrated by the lengthy development of GTA 6 often forget the biggest release of the last five years. In 2018, Rockstar Games launched RDR 2, setting the highest quality bar for open worlds, visuals and detail in video games.

Rockstar released the game in a less popular setting than GTA, and it achieved incredible sales and won many awards. Fans are still discovering new secrets in Red Dead Redemption 2, and Arthur Morgan has become one of the most recognisable protagonists in video games. Therefore, it is safe to say that Rockstar Games is still the flagship of the gaming industry and has not lost its ability to create the best open world games.

How Has the Video Games Industry Changed?

Fans remember that Rockstar Games used to release games more frequently. The company released Manhunt, Midnight Club, The Warriors, Bully, several Grand Theft Auto games for handheld consoles and even a music game called Beaterator. But times have changed. The games industry demands the highest standards of visuals and gameplay, and game development has only become more expensive and difficult. The studio focuses on one big project instead of many.

GTA 6's long development process is also linked to external factors. In 2018, Rockstar Games ran into rework issues while making RDR 2. After the scandal, the company had to change its policy and create a softer schedule for employees. The development of GTA 6 was also delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Rockstar switched employees to remote work and the game's development speed dropped significantly.

Conclusion

Rockstar Games is a unique company. For more than two decades it has released an incredible number of hits that have changed the perception of video games. The company has changed, but it has not lost the ability to create masterpieces. Gamers should not be afraid of the fate of GTA 6, the upcoming game is going to be amazing.