Grand Theft Auto’s Time Machine Remains Broken After Bringing Tomorrow to Present Day
One of the most influential franchises in gaming history is “Grand Theft Auto.” The series’ cultural footprint is massive, shaping not just games but wider entertainment for decades. Obbe Vermeij, a former Rockstar technical director, recently shed light on GTA 2 and its futuristic world. Can such a setting actually work for the franchise again?
They Tried the Future and Hated It
According to Vermeij, the team that made GTA 2 absolutely hated the process of creating a futuristic world. It seems that this distaste, combined with the game’s relatively weaker reception, led to this concept being shelved permanently. The core appeal of this gritty open-world franchise is its ability to parody contemporary society.
This may explain why futuristic settings are a much harder trick to pull off, as it requires the developers to speculate about the world of tomorrow. Rockstar may even risk alienating fans with an unfamiliar setting. And when modern satire works so perfectly, why exactly change? Every weapon, vehicle, and radio station in a contemporary “GTA” serves as a biting commentary on the world players inhabit.
GTA Developers Yell at Futuristic Clouds
By transplanting the series to a speculative future, a game may end up sacrificing that immediate, relatable humor. immediate, relatable humor. Not only that, but the developers found themselves in yelling matches over having to reinvent basic mechanics like how weapons function. As a result, the development team had to deal with slowed production and internal frustration.
Given that the “GTA” series has been built on staggering detail and immersive worlds, that foundational friction is a major deterrent. Furthermore, the financial stakes for a new GTA are also astronomically higher than during the “GTA 2” era. It’s unlikely that executives will ever greenlight such a risky departure from its traditional settings.
The brand is simply too valuable to gamble on a radical shift that could confuse the audience. A huge part of the fun that a well-generated modern setting effortlessly generates is the cultural conversation, the memes, and the social media buzz. With a futuristic “GTA,” the developers and players would struggle to create those shared, relatable jokes.
Satire Prefers the Present Tense
The entertainment industry is profoundly impacted by this creative decision to retain modern settings. For countless content creators, streamers, and video essayists, the series provides relatable satire drawn directly from current events. Film and television producers also watch “GTA” for cues on popular culture and societal trends, using its success as a barometer for public taste.
So, where does this industry-wide avoidance of futuristic crime epics stem from? Part of the blame is attributed to the towering shadow and explicit rejection of the concept by the biggest name within the genre. Given that marketing and cross-promotional partnerships for a GTA release are built around contemporary brands and music, massive revenue can be generated for other sectors.
The Modern Principle of Grand Theft Auto
Due to the certainty of its contemporary settings, other game developers can explore futuristic open worlds without direct competition from Rockstar. Entire ancillary industries, from gaming peripherals to apparel, design products around the game’s modern aesthetic, banking on its predictable setting. “GTA” ultimately retains its sharp, relevant wit that fans crave by staying committed to its modern or historical settings. This insistence means players can always expect the next game to hold a darkly comedic mirror to the world they live in right now.
From social media crazes to political scandals, fans are guaranteed a meticulously crafted parody of today’s absurdities. Moreover, they can generate memes the week after launch that will be instantly understood, creating a global, shared comedic experience. With this consistency, Rockstar is able to perfect its formula, focusing on depth and detail rather than conceptual overhaul. Despite the failure that “GTA 2” turned out to be, there’s a silver lining: It’s legacy has gifted fans a perpetual promise of hilariously recognizable chaos.
