Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is arguably one of the most ambitious games of its era. It's easy to see why. The open-world is huge (several times larger than Vice City), and the game comes packed with around 100 story missions in addition to numerous side quests. Topping it all off, you have some of the best writing and characters of the generation.
Even though development lasted longer than its predecessor, it is still incredibly impressive to know San Andreas came out just two years after Vice City. Typical of Rockstar, there is not a lot known about this title's development, but a few interesting tidbits can be found by searching through interviews and news reports leading up to and after the game's release.
8 Young Malay, CJ's Voice Actor, Is Related To Shawn Fonteno, Franklin's Voice Actor
Young Malay plays CJ, the main character of San Andreas. Even though the actor would never reprise the role in a future game, a member of his family would eventually contribute to the franchise. The rapper and actor is related to Shawn Fonteno, who plays Franklin Clinton in Grand Theft Auto 5.
The two are cousins. It is an appropriate connection because the characters are connected thematically, both coming from similar backgrounds. The main difference is CJ runs away before coming back while Franklin stays for a bit too long trying to look for his big break.
7 The Game Was Temporarily Rated AO After Release
.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=740&dpr=1.5)
If you were around and aware of gaming after San Andreas came out, you knew the effect it had on culture. You were also aware of the controversy surrounding the Hot Coffee mod, which let you view a scene of CJ engaging in sexual activity with a date.
Even though the content was a mod not added in by the developer, it still caused an absolute riot in the press. ESRB eventually changed the game's rating to AO until a new version of the game was released with the files needed to enable Hot Coffee removed.
6 DJ Pooh Worked As A Writer And Co-Producer
DJ Pooh stands out as a notable writer's credit. He is less known for writing video games and more renowned for producing classic hip hop tracks for artists like LL Cool J, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg. Before working on San Andreas, DJ Pooh also had a writing credit and a small part on the classic comedy Friday.
San Andreas would not mark the end of his collaboration with Rockstar Games. He has a similar credit on Grand Theft Auto 5 and hosts the West Coast Classics radio station. He is also featured in The Contract, a recent GTA Online expansion.
5 There Is An Introductory Short Film
The special edition PS2 release and the official soundtrack came packaged with another DVD featuring a short film called The Introduction. It uses the game's engine to tell a small story taking place before the game's events using the characters from the main story.
It sets up a lot of story threads the main game eventually explores, including what ends up happening in the San Fierro and Las Venturas chapters. It is easy to find on YouTube these days.
4 It Cost A Reported $10 Million To Make
Game budgets are hard to estimate, especially when we are talking about one from more than 15 years ago. From what we can find, it cost about $10 million to make Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas a reality, though this probably does not include marketing.
This really highlights how much the gaming industry has changed since 2004. The budgets for Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 are exponentially larger and are of the same genre.
3 Young Malay Had No Prior Acting Experience
Young Malay earned the CJ Johnson role because of DJ Pooh. The producer was working with Young Malay at the time and had a phone call with him in front of the other producers of the game.
Little did Young Malay know, the others listened to his voice and thought he would be a great fit for San Andreas' main character. It is surprising to know he had no acting experience beforehand when you hear how comfortable he seems in the CJ role.
2 Smuggler's Run Was An Inspiration For The Rural Areas
In an interview done around the game's release, Dan Hauser reveals how impressed the team was with another Rockstar game, Smuggler's Run. Specifically the big, open sections where players evade the law.
One can definitely see the connection between Smuggler's Run and the rural areas in San Andreas, which is the first time the team tackled such a setting. It would not be the last time either, since GTA 5 also has a large, rural area where many of the missions take place.
1 50 Cent Was Allegedly Offered The Role Of CJ
There are numerous reports that rapper 50 Cent was offered the role of CJ in San Andreas. Allegedly, he turned it down because if he was to star in a game, he was going to play himself.
Rockstar has never commented on whether or not this is true, but the developer is never open about a game's development. One thing is for sure, San Andreas would have felt like a different game if 50 Cent voiced CJ.