OXM has picked up a quote from late last year that has Rockstar head honcho, Dan Houser, stating that the studio may explore the possibility of a sci-fi Grand Theft Auto title somewhere down the road. From what it sounds like, the studio is interested, but won’t go into science fiction just for the sake of it. They need a good reason first.
We will do it the very second we have an idea,” Houser said on the possibility of a future-set Grand Theft Auto Title. “One of our strengths is the consistency of the game world. We’re not necessarily the best writers in the world, but we how to write a video game. When we decided to make a Western, it was because we knew we had something to say,” he went on. “We have no interest in going into science fiction for the sake of flying cars and laser guns. The best science fiction stories are those that speak about the human condition. So while this idea is very tempting and, by definition, anything’s possible in a videogame, we lack the essential thing for the moment: a good reason.”
Houser was then asked if the Grand Theft Auto series even needed such a drastic makeover at this time. He replied saying that it’s not something he’s going to worry about right away and that as long as they keep making their games with a ton of ambition like they have been, the series won’t grow old anytime soon.
“I’m not worrying about this for a good while yet,” he said. “In the past some of our titles have been successful, others less so, but as long as we have the ambition of making the kinds of games that nobody’s ever made before, we’re not going to get bored. To offer an analogy with cinema, some films can be told in one page of text. Once the basic situation is there, you know exactly how it will evolve. But if you’re careful to change the narrative structure, it can change everything. Chris Nolan’s Memento is a good example. That’s the kind of approach we’ve achieved.”
He brings up a good point. The Grand Theft Auto series is constantly pushing forward and each title is filled with more ambition than the last. Grand Theft Auto V looks to be the most ambitious title yet, with three player-controlled protagonists to play around with. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Rockstar is planning a lot with their upcoming title and if it even delivers on half of what is promised, we’ll be in for one hell of an experience.
That being said, I definitely wouldn’t be opposed to seeing them head to the future for the next title in the series. I think a sci-fi Grand Theft Auto title would be awesome and the possibilities are endless.
What do you think? Good idea or bad? Would you like to see the series go down the sci-fi route?
