Rockstar GamesA former Grand Theft Auto 6 developer has highlighted a big issue Rockstar could have by having a huge map in the new game.
For years, Grand Theft Auto fans have debated about the size and scope of GTA 6’s map. Rockstar have kept making their worlds bigger and bigger, with Red Dead Redemption 2 being their biggest to date.
With GTA 6 taking inspiration from Florida, many fans have suggested using the full length of the state instead of just Vice City and a little bit extra. A one-to-one scale remake is unlikely to be the case, but the leaks and first trailer have shown it is likely to be huge.
While players will be looking forward to the new areas around Vice City, former Rockstar Games developer Cameron Williams has pointed out that having too big a map could be a sizable issue.
Former Rockstar dev claims “players don’t explore”
As per PCGamer, the former Red Dead Redemption and Grand Theft Auto dev told a Game Developers Conference that “Players don’t explore.”
“Whether that’s because you have a super action-oriented game or because they just simply aren’t compelled. Or, [your game has] a huge time investment and it’s hard for players to pick up and put down, which is an increasing challenge, especially with the sort of evolving ecosystem of free-to-play and live service games that are kind of eating everyone’s time and attention.”
Williams added that players have “exploration anxiety” and can be “hesitant” to check something out.
Rockstar GamesThe dev, who now works for Rockstar Games’ co-founder Dan Houser at Absurd Ventures, explained: “We want to avoid creating a possibility space so large that players simply just don’t know what to choose.”
He noted that Red Dead Redemption has a mission that introduces players to the fishing mechanics in such a way that it encourages them to remember that good time and try it again for themselves elsewhere.
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Williams also added that too many landmarks can throw players off, which could be an issue when GTA 6 rolls around.