The release of GTA 6’s first official teaser was cause for celebration, but situations such as Grand Theft Auto 5’s source code being leaked around Christmas compounded Rockstar Games’ woes. The latter not only divulged details about the 2013 title, but also about previously unannounced projects such as Bully 2, Midnight Club 5, and others.
In a nutshell, Rockstar Games has had a mixed bag of a year. In this post, we will look back at five key studio-related events that occurred in 2023.
GTA 6 Trailer Release and Four Other Important Events in 2023
Grand Theft Auto 5 Has Been Added to the Playstation Plus Game Catalog
GTA 5 is now available for free to PS Plus Extra and Premium customers. As long as their PS Plus Extra or Premium subscription is current, they can access the title from the PS Plus Game Catalog on PS4 and PS5. Its download size on PS4 is 91.357 GB and 95.945 GB on PS5.
This isn’t the first time the game has been made available for free. It was released for free on Epic Games Launcher in 2020. That, however, was only for a brief period.
Unannounced Project Details Released
As previously noted, the GTA 5 source code leak revealed a wealth of information concerning unreleased Rockstar Games projects. These include highly anticipated projects such as Bully 2 and Midnight Club 5, a sequel to Rockstar’s racing video game franchise that includes titles such as Midnight Club: Los Angeles.
The GTA 5 source code leaks have revealed the map for Rockstar’s cancelled game Agent.
A Cold War spy game by Rockstar would’ve been so good. Sad to see they scrapped it late into development. https://t.co/uDpyurgpgJ
— Gaming Detective (@that1detectiv3) December 25, 2023
The most famous appears to be a canceled game called Agent. It would have been set during the Cold War, and its map would have been disclosed as a result of the source code leak incident. Aside from that, little is known about Agent at the moment.
Source Code for Grand Theft Auto 5 Has Been Leaked
GTA 5 source code was released around Christmas 2023, casting a damper on Rockstar Games’ otherwise excellent year. This incident exposed a lot about the studio’s 2013 title, including canceled story mode DLCs and map extensions.
In reality, Rockstar may have planned to feature Liberty City in some fashion. These expansions may never see the light of day, as the studio’s primary focus over the last decade has been Grand Theft Auto Online, with Grand Theft Auto 6 likely to take center stage in the future.
GTA 6 Trailer Release
On December 5, 2023, Rockstar Games released the first official trailer for Grand Theft Auto 6. It corroborated many of the details shown in the September 2022 leaked development film, as well as several others. Vice City will return in the sequel, which will be based in the fictional state of Leonida.
The game will also include a female protagonist named Lucia, about whom fans are eager to learn more. Grand Theft Auto 6 is planned to be released in 2025 for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and more information, such as the voice actor, may be given ahead of time.
Grand Theft Auto 5’s 10th Anniversary
On September 17, 2023, Grand Theft Auto 5 celebrated its tenth anniversary. In the last decade, the game has been one of Rockstar’s most valuable properties. As of this writing, it has sold around 190 million units and is expected to sell even more until its sequel arrives in 2025.
To commemorate the anniversary, Rockstar distributed free in-game goods in GTA Online, such as clothes based on the game’s three protagonists, Michael De Santa, Trevor Philips, and Franklin Clinton.
Unfortunately, GTA 5’s 10th anniversary was a letdown. While the collectibles are a fantastic addition, the event might have been much larger.