Rockstar veteran reveals GTA 3’s poor state ahead of GTA 6
Before the colossal demands of modern AAA development, there was the foundational grit of the early Grand Theft Auto saga. Rockstar veteran Obbe Vermeij recently took a retrospective look at the creation of GTA 3, and what that chaotic journey taught him about the messy, beautiful process of game development.
Vermeij paints a vivid picture of those early days, noting that for much of the development cycle, GTA 3 was in a decidedly sorry state. The game was plagued by technical nightmares: frequent crashes, terrible frame rates, and a map riddled with holes. He recalls the agonizing wait for the game to finally coalesce, stressing that it wasn’t until the final six months that the technical elements—like achieving a stable 30 frames per second—finally came together.
This late assembly is often a hallmark of large development teams, especially where art and technology intersect. The true heart of a game can be hidden until it is much closer to launch. In the world of game design, this mirrors the experience of other giants; for instance, Bethesda’s boss Todd Howard acknowledged that it took seven years for Starfield to evolve into an experience that was genuinely fun to play.
The genesis of GTA 3 itself was equally organic and unplanned. The initial setup involved Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut working on the project unprompted, while the original GTA team tackled the development of GTA 2.5. The structure was fluid, driven by inspiration rather than rigid blueprints. The original plot, even the infamous sequence involving Catalina trying to kill Claude, was added well into the development process, proving that in the early days, the narrative could simply emerge.
The process highlighted a stark contrast with the modern era. While the GTA 3 team operated with a small, tight-knit group, building a world piece by piece, the scope of contemporary projects has exploded. Rockstar’s pursuit of GTA 6 has spanned thirteen years, yet it has yet to reach full production. This vast scale, while ambitious, often leads to conflicting creative visions that slow down the process.
Despite the long road and the inevitable pressures, Vermeij recalls that the GTA 3 team managed crunch far more gracefully. While everyone worked hard, there were few instances of marathon sessions. Most staff opted for focused eight-hour days, emphasizing that the camaraderie within the small team was the most valuable asset. They were a group of friends working toward a shared vision, not just a payroll of workers.
Today, Rockstar commands a massive studio with thousands of developers dedicated to building living worlds—a scale unimaginable during the DMA Design era. The lessons from the past, however, remain essential. The story of GTA 3 is ultimately a testament to how passion, collaboration, and a little bit of chaos can forge a genuinely iconic piece of gaming history.
Credit
