Former Rockstar Games Developer Shares Company Secrets
Former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij recently began sharing behind-the-scenes development secrets of classic games in the “Grand Theft Auto” series on his personal blog. However, after just a few posts, all of the content was removed at the request of Rockstar officials.
Vermeij’s blog, which launched on November 11, shed light on the early days of Rockstar North’s development of Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, and other titles. Some of the revelations included details about the original concept of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, an espionage project that competed with Grand Theft Auto 4, and the canceled game “AGENT.”
One of the most attention-grabbing revelations was about Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which Vermeij revealed was initially conceptualized as a zombie survival game before transforming into the classic players know today. Additionally, he disclosed that “AGENT” was an ambitious project that was eventually abandoned due to the team’s focus shifting to the development of Grand Theft Auto 4 and then Grand Theft Auto 5.
Rockstar North officials were displeased with Vermeij’s openness and requested the removal of all the behind-the-scenes blog posts. In a response, Vermeij shared that he originally didn’t anticipate any issues with sharing information about projects he worked on years ago, but agreed to take down the articles to accommodate the wishes of his former employer.
In a follow-up statement on Twitter, Vermeij clarified that Rockstar Games didn’t directly force him to remove the content, but expressed disapproval from some former employees who felt the revelations were damaging the company’s image.
While Rockstar Games has a reputation for keeping its game plans under wraps, recent media reports have shed light on the high-pressure working environment within the company. However, the working conditions are rumored to have improved in recent years, and the team is set to reveal a new game in the Grand Theft Auto series in early December as part of their 25th-anniversary celebration.