Bloomberg on GTA 6: Why development took more than eight years
Jason Schreier reports on GTA 6 development, its sweat system, detailed nightclub scenes, a smaller map and activities shared by Jason and Lucia.
On October 14, Bloomberg published an extensive feature by Jason Schreier about GTA 6. The journalist visited Rockstar North and asked developers why the game had taken more than eight years to make. Here are the main points.
- The scope had to be reduced. Early plans for Project Americas covered parts of North and South America. Rockstar later focused on Vice City and the surrounding area. Work on RDR 2 also pushed GTA 6 back, as it took up most of the company’s resources.
- The level of realism was debated. Studio leaders spent a long time trying to agree on a direction. Discussions went as far as buying a beer by hand or going to fetch sandwich ingredients. These were design ideas under discussion, not a list of mechanics in the finished game.
- Sweat responds to exertion. Citing Schreier’s video, GTA 6 Info reports that a system changes how much Jason, Lucia and other characters sweat according to their effort. Dancing in a nightclub is one example given.
- Nightclub scenes are built from many details. According to art director Aaron Garbut, Rockstar separately animates and defines the behavior of clubgoers, creates drinks, music and lighting, and synchronizes the lights with the beat. This describes how a scene is made, not a list of actions available to the player.
- The protagonists can spend time together. Schreier describes Jason texting Lucia to arrange a meeting. They walk hand in hand, go to the gym, rob a store and evade the police.
- The NPC team has grown. Rockstar assembled writers, producers and directors in Los Angeles to work on supporting characters.
- Random events can pull players away from the story. Development lead Phil Hooker described how a minor traffic accident led to confrontations, a robbery, a police escape and a search for more loot. Two hours later, he still had not reached the mission he had intended to test.
The feature still gives November 19, 2026, as the game’s release date. Bloomberg expects the online component in 2027, but no official launch date for it has been announced. Rockstar has not disclosed the budget.