It's been more than eight years since Grand Theft Auto 5 came out and, beyond some rumours, there's still no sign of a sequel in sight. The open-world opus is so grand that players are still enjoying its single-player content and devouring whatever Rockstar Games releases for the ongoing Grand Theft Auto Online.
A game this large doesn't just come out of the oven and into players' hands without any problems or stories behind its development. The facts about its development listed below show just how much work and thought went into making one of the most successful pieces of media ever released.
9 Over One Thousand People Worked On It
As games become more advanced, more people are needed to make them. There was a time when a team of 100 or 200 people was considered gigantic.
Grand Theft Auto 5 puts this to shame by reportedly having over a thousand people working on it. Studios from all over the world collaborated to bring this world to life. It's easier to believe once you beat the game and sit through the credits.
8 It Is One Of The Most Expensive Games Ever Made
Not including marketing, development costs for Grand Theft Auto 5 come out to somewhere around $137 million, making it one of the most expensive games ever made. With advertisements and release that number balloons to over $200 million, higher than the budget of most Hollywood blockbusters.
It absolutely paid off, however, since Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the best-selling and most profitable games ever created. The game continues to generate revenue thanks to Grand Theft Auto Online. Though the service is free with the purchase of the game, there are many ways the developer lets you spend money.
7 It Came On One PS3 Blu-Ray, 2 Xbox 360 DVDs, And Seven DVDs For PC.
Given the game's massive scale, it is surprising to see it come out on just one blu-ray for the PS3. Other platforms were not so tidy with their release. Xbox 360 copies came on two DVDs and with a mandatory install, a rarity for the console.
This is nothing in comparison to PC users, however. They had to install the game using seven DVDs. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions have barely any noticeable differences, while the PC version came out later and looks significantly better if you have the appropriate PC.
6 Building The City Comes First
According to several sources, building the city of Los Santos and its surrounding area is the first step of development.
They don't first design a mission and then decide they need to build a section of the city to accommodate it. It works the other way around. Ultimately, this helps create a more realistic setting. Los Santos feels like a lived-in place and the protagonists' story feels like just one of many in the city.
5 Shawn Fonteno Is Related To Young Malay, CJ's Voice Actor
Shawn Fonteno was initially hesitant to take on the role of Franklin because he felt thought the role was meant for a younger man. Upon reading the part he realized the two shared a lot in common.
Shawn Fonteno is also related to Young Malay, whose name you might recognize as the voice of CJ in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Even though he played a GTA character later, Shawn Fonteno is actually older than Young Malay.
4 LA Was Decided On Because They Were Displeased With San Andreas' Los Santos
Grand Theft Auto 5 revisits Los Santos, which served as the first of three hubs in the 2004 classic Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. In an interview, the reason for revisiting Los Santos was because of how the developer felt about the first 3D Los Santos.
The team ultimately felt it did not feel as alive or vibrant as it could have been. With this second go at Los Santos, the action was kept within the city to make it even more detailed.
3 The Three Leaf Clover Missions Encouraged The Developer To Do More Heists
One fan-favorite mission in Grand Theft Auto 4, Three Leaf Clover, has Niko and his friends pull off a daring bank heist in Liberty City. It starts with a tense stand off and ends with a bombastic shootout through the streets and in the subway.
The positive reception to this was a major reason heists became such a big part of Grand Theft Auto 5. The concept is expanded upon with missions setting up the job and multiple ways to do each heist. They are also a big part of GTA Online.
2 The Financial Crisis Had A Large Impact On The Story
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Grand Theft Auto 4 came out in 2008, meaning its story was made beforehand and could not take advantage of what was happening at the time.
When making Grand Theft Auto 5, the financial crisis from 2007 and 2008 had a massive influence on the narrative. After all, not everyone had recovered by 2013. Everything runs on money and greed in LA, so its fictional equivalent would be similarly affected by an economic crash.
1 First Grand Theft Auto Game With An Original Score For The Missions
Original music had been made for Grand Theft Auto games before, but it had never been specifically tailored for missions. Grand Theft Auto 5 has an original score to heighten drama during most of the action during missions.
Several artists collaborated for the score including Woody Jackson, who did the music for Red Dead Redemption, and Tangerine Dream, a classic and influential electronic music group that started in the 1960s.