This week, we’ve heard Rockstar games co-founder Dan Houser talking about cancelled GTA 5 story DLC and Saints Row 1 design director Chris Stockman sharing his pitch for a Saints Row reboot, which has us lamenting the lack of open-world action games set in contemporary settings. Specifically, the kind where you can steal cars and cause mayhem – you know, like in GTA. It feels like we used to get these all the time, and now, they’re few and far between, assuming they see the light of day. The Saints Row reboot was a flop, and Volition isn’t around anymore. Mindseye didn’t deliver on its ambitious premise. Contraband, the project from Just Cause developer Avalanche was cancelled. Sleeping Dogs might get a movie courtesy of Simu Liu, but it seems unlikely we’ll get a new game anytime soon. What happened? Will we ever see this kind of game make a comeback? What about The Simpsons Hit & Run? Plus, Sony has a new holiday ad campaign that harkens back to the weirdo marketing of the PlayStation 2.This weeks show is Max Scoville, Brian Altano, and is produced by Nick Maillet
The Sad State of GTA-Like Games (That Aren’t GTA) – Beyond 920
Posted by
3
3Post navigation
Previous Post
Biped 2 – Official Launch Trailer
This post brings up an interesting perspective on the current state of GTA-like games. It’s always fascinating to hear insights from industry veterans like Dan Houser. The discussion around canceled content definitely adds another layer to the conversation about game development.
You’re right; the decline of GTA-like games is quite striking. It’s interesting to consider how the open-world design and narrative depth in newer titles often fall short compared to earlier games in the genre. It makes you wonder if developers are focusing too much on graphics and not enough on storytelling.
development of open-world mechanics has evolved since GTA’s heyday. Many games now focus on narrative depth and character development, which can sometimes overshadow the chaotic fun that GTA is known for. It will be intriguing to see if future titles can find a balance between these elements.