GTA is one of the most popular gaming franchises and Rockstar Games was always ahead of its time. The third installment was a massive success and what could have made it more was a multiplayer feature that the developers worked on but ultimately abandoned.
Rockstar Games is renowned for being ambitious and it took them this far into the game industry and players relished the single-player content in each entry. Multiplayer could have been a different and much more collaborative experience with friends, but it never came to pass.
GTA 3 Was Meant to Have an Ambitious Multiplayer Feature
The Grand Theft Auto franchise had a complicated history and one of the more successful entries nearly never saw the light of day. Certain publishers were blind to the potential of the series becoming a mainstay in the game industry, fortunately, the developers did not falter and fought for the creative vision.
One of the former developers shared some details regarding the abandoned multiplayer feature that was ahead of its time and how the immediate successor also failed to complete it.
I coded multiplayer for gta3. Since gta1 & 2 had MP we thought gta3 should have it as well. The basic gameplay was working but there was too much to be done and we cancelled it. We tried again for Vice and failed. When SA came around we thought it was too late in the console…
— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) May 22, 2024
If the developers only had the time and sufficient resources to manage the ambitious multiplayer content, perhaps Grand Theft Auto 3 would not have been overtaken as the best-selling game of 2002 by its sequel: Vice City. The developers were in a race against time for the successor of the present console generation of the time and settled for a local co-op mode instead.
Rockstar Games was able to achieve something groundbreaking two decades ago despite the technological limitations. The evolving technology has allowed the developers to fully realize their vision in present installments that are now enjoyed by millions across different platforms all over the world.
Multiplayer in Older GTA Games Could Have Been a Game Changer
The franchise grew and benefitted from the technological advancements that allowed the developers to draw closer to a realistic gaming experience. Perhaps the multiplayer was a tall order and couldn’t be shipped on time, but the developers used it as motivation to make the succeeding titles better in other ways.
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If Rockstar Games hadn’t been held back by their limited resources at the time, they could have made an even more significant impact on the game industry. The idea of playing with friends from afar with the unique gameplay mechanics was unheard of at the time.
The developers finally managed to get the multiplayer they dreamed of up and running in GTA 4 and improved upon the idea of the sequel which is still going strong despite its age. It revolutionized online gaming and opened the doors for more opportunities.
Other game studios were inspired to replicate Rockstar Games’ success, but none have matched their level of quality and freedom. The first two entries had multiplayer, but not on the scale the developers had in mind for the third, fueling their passion to see it through.
Do you think multiplayer would have worked in GTA 3? Let us know in the comments section below!
