Grand Theft Auto Online, the multiplayer component of Rockstar’s popular Grand Theft Auto V, is closing its 10th anniversary this year. Despite its longevity, the popular game still gets weekly updates and further content, holding fans entertained and excited.
In an interview with GamesRadar, Scott Butchard, design director voiced his surprise and appreciation for the game’s success and reflected on the team’s initial concept for the game.
When we started out, I don’t think we could have ever dreamed we’d still be going 10 years on. The success of GTA Online is nothing we ever expected.”
Butchard said.
One of the keys to GTA Online’s success is its capacity to demand a wide audience with a wide range of content, according to lead designer Chris Bell. However, meeting the demand for new and exciting content is an endless challenge for the development team.
With there being such a large and varied amount of experiences in GTA Online at this point, there is always that challenge of trying to keep things fresh that’s going to appeal both to our veteran audience and any new players that may be playing it as their first bit of gameplay beyond the tutorial.”
Bell said.
While fans are eagerly anticipating the release of Grand Theft Auto VI, Butchard teased that the team has a lot of new updates and features scheduled for the recent version of GTA Online, including new content up to the end of the year.
We’ve got a bunch of ideas in the works right now, all the way up until the holidays at the end of the year, so please stay tuned!”
Butchard said.
GTA Online was released in October 2013, a month after the release of Grand Theft Auto V. Since then, the game has seen continued success, with a standalone version of the game being released in 2022 for $20. While it remains to be seen what form Grand Theft Auto VI will take, the next installment in the series will likely include an online component, given the massive success of GTA Online.
