Former Rockstar Developer Reveals Difficulties in Creating Multiplayer in GTA Series

Former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij shared little-known details about the development of online modes for different parts of Grand Theft Auto. In the first two games in the series, the multiplayer worked locally, using minimal data exchange - computers synchronized only keystrokes, which led to funny situations. Due to the dependence on the weakest PC on the network, synchronization often failed: in one of the tests, all players simultaneously saw the screen of their victory.



When creating GTA 3, the team planned a simple deathmatch mode with respawning at different points in Liberty City, but did not have time to implement the lobby system and scripts by the deadline, completely abandoning the online component. In Vice City, they hired additional programmers for multiplayer, but the tight deadlines again forced them to postpone the idea. For San Andreas, the developers did not even consider full-fledged online - instead, they added local co-op, which, according to Vermeij, was much inferior to the classic network mode.



The breakthrough came only in GTA 4, thanks to the daily work of four programmers and a team of designers. This experience allowed Rockstar to create a large-scale multiplayer, which became the foundation for GTA Online. History shows how technical limitations and strict deadlines have influenced the evolution of online modes in the cult series for decades.