Grand Theft Auto, a phenomenal series by Rockstar, celebrates 25 years on the market this year. Grand Theft Auto was released on November 28, 1997, by a small British game development studio known as DMA Design, and the company has not looked back since.
Game boy Color, PlayStation, and PC versions of the 2D series were released in 1997. With hundreds of millions of copies sold, the franchise has evolved into a genre-defining series. Let’s delve into the evolution of this world-famous game franchise.
How it started?
This first game became one of the most talked about games in recent years, and not always for the best reasons, despite its cartoony violence, top-down perspective, and much more straightforward visual style. Due to its depiction of illegal activities like carjacking and murder, GTA became the face of controversial pop culture, despite being viewed by the media as nothing more than glorifying the criminal underworld. However, this only appeared to increase sales, and the developer was responsible for feeding some of the controversy surrounding the game through its ties to newspapers, which ultimately led to its success.
Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001, changed gaming forever after a sequel in 1999. The game has become one of the most successful franchises in the industry, exploding in the AAA realm. The game marked the first time the franchise made its transition from 2D to 3D. The games that came before GTA 3 were 2D adventures in which players took on the role of criminals and carried out underground tasks while eluding law enforcement and building a reputation for themselves.
The next installation, Vice City, served as the foundation for Rockstar’s formula development. The franchise’s biggest game was Vice City. The vast 3D open-world terrain gives players the freedom to explore and engage in any activities they choose. making them experience the gangster lifestyle.
San Andreas mastered the formula, if Vice City invented it. When Grand Theft Auto San Andreas was released in 2004, gamers all over the world took notice of it right away. The scope of the game was substantially larger, although it used the same graphical engine as Vice City. The game is also well-known for having various elements that were strongly criticized by the press and the parents of young gamers.
How it’s going?
There is no denying the influence the GTA name has had on the industry, as Grand Theft Auto 5 was the most successful game in the series and one of the highest-grossing video games ever. Even though many people are starting to get impatiently waiting for the next installment to come out, Rockstar’s next game is almost certain to be just as big.
It is rumored that Rockstar will take this legendary franchise to a whole new level with GTA 6. With the 6th installment, the series promises to bring fresh new aspects. It is rumored that this game will feature a female protagonist, which will be the first of its kind.
The Grand Theft Auto series will only get better with time. With its 25th anniversary in the industry, we and fans can only hope that the game continues to provide us with great experiences for the next quarter-century and beyond!
