Former Rockstar Games Developer Shares Insight into GTA 6 Development
3 August 2025
Diana Golenko
Environment artist David O’Reilly, who previously worked on Grand Theft Auto 6, has shared a glimpse into the inner workings of Rockstar Games. According to the former developer, even after five years of development, many team members were still unaware of the game’s story and most of its key elements.
Here are some interesting takeaways from his interview with the Kiwi Talkz channel:
- Teams are usually focused on their specific tasks and rarely know what others are working on;
- As an artist, David O’Reilly knew absolutely nothing about the plot of GTA 6, including the two main characters;
- Development tools and technologies are frequently updated mid-project, since new industry standards emerge each year — the same applied to Red Dead Redemption 2, GTA 5, and GTA 6;
- Sam and Dan Houser’s presence in the office was intimidating for many employees, pushing the staff to work harder during their visits;
- Both co-founders would occasionally stop by Rockstar divisions to oversee development personally, although encounters with them were relatively rare;
- Fun fact: one of David’s friends once went for a jog with one of the Houser brothers — to his surprise, the Houser showed up with an entourage of 12–14 people.
Previously, David O’Reilly also shared how trailers for the GTA series were made at Rockstar Games.