Happy 10th anniversary to GTA V, who very much persists to be relevant to this day.
It is hard to believe that GTA V was initially released for PS3 and Xbox 360 on the 17th of September, 2013. Despite its age, Rockstar still supports the game thanks to its online mode. While the story mode was done and dusted almost 10 years ago, the online mode of GTA V is still relevant and getting seasonal updates at least twice a year. Its last update, the Mercenaries, came along last summer, and small bits of the update, such as missions and new cars, are still being added via the drip-feed system.
According to everyone, if this were any other game than GTA V, being relevant for 10 years would be a very big achievement. Those long-lasting games tend to be multiplayer only; therefore, their legacy lies within the people who wish to keep playing them.
However, Grand Theft Auto V is mostly a single-player game in which the story and characters should be in the spotlight, not the multiplayer side. Previous games like GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, and even IV were mostly focused on the single-player, and that is what people liked, not multiplayer-focused GTA V, sadly.
In this 10-year adventure of GTA V, the single-player side had no update except in addition to vanilla traffic with the first-ever update, then the single-player was silently abandoned. The online side, however, was filled with new content. As time went on, the online started receiving futuristic gadgets such as flying cars, flying bikes, and jetpacks.
Hacking tools, orbital cannons, the addition of a first-person camera, and cars with locking missiles were in the bunch, too. It seems like Rockstar North started to lose interest in the continuity and universe of GTA as things started getting out of shape. Although they are still distant, Rockstar posted a Tweet and released an update for the 10th anniversary, and it includes clothes that resemble the clothes of the main protagonists.
During GTA V’s lifespan, one of the most important people to take the role of the games, Dan Houser, left the company, and the game as a whole has been crumbling since. The removal of the ability to purchase 300 or so cars, the inclusion of GTA+, and a few other questionable game-changing additions certainly made people lose hope in the future of GTA V and even GTA VI.
Here to not hoping for another 10 years of GTA V. Rockstar should really get back on track and deliver some concrete evidence on the next game’s current situation. Giving answers to people should allow them to get at least rid of some burden on their back, but Rockstar being Rockstar, we won’t be hearing from them about the next installment for a while by the looks of it.