Recently, the design documents for Grand Theft Auto III have been released online, offering a fascinating look at the developers’ initial ideas and features that were not included in the final version of the game. These documents are said to be from 2001 and on December 17, 2024, a user named FrankieLiberty published them on GTAForums. The motive of this user is to prevent the sale of these documents.
As we know, early design documents often contain ideas that do not appear in the final version of the game due to various reasons such as technical limitations and lack of time or changes in the overall vision of the project. However, the release of these documents provides a unique opportunity for GTA series enthusiasts to take a look behind the scenes of the development of one of the most important games in history and learn about the initial ideas of its creators.
The documents reveal that GTA 3 and the online component planned for it had ambitious features that were considered innovative at the time. Among these features, we can mention the grouping system (Faction System) and the skill system (Skill System) and property ownership. These features could add more depth and dynamics to the game world and significantly improve the players’ experience.
Another interesting point in these documents is the mention of Barking Dog Studios as the main developer of the game. The studio was later sold to Take-Two Interactive in August 2002 and renamed Rockstar Vancouver. This shows that the development process of GTA 3 has been accompanied by changes in the structure of the development team.
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This comes as fans of the Grand Theft Auto series eagerly await the release of a new trailer for GTA 6, which is expected to provide more detailed information on the release date of the highly anticipated game. Currently, GTA 6 release date is scheduled for Fall 2025. With GTA V selling more than 165 million copies, expectations for the next installment in the series are high and any new information about it will be widely welcomed by fans.
The release of these documents is not only a reminder of Rockstar’s ambitions in the early 2000s; Rather, it shows that this studio has been looking for innovation and providing new experiences in the world of video games since the beginning. This raises the expectations for GTA 6 and the new features we might see in it. This information is consistent with the recent words of the publisher of the game GTA 6, who stated that “our game is worth the wait”.
