GTA 6: Playtest Spirals Out of Control – Developer Lost for Two Hours in Vice City

Phil Hooker was only supposed to be testing a story mission in GTA 6. Two hours later, he was miles away from it. The Rockstar developer shared this anecdote, according to GameStar, in a conversation with Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier.

What Happened During the GTA 6 Playtest?

During the late development phase, Hooker was playing as Jason and was en route to the mission. He rammed another car, whose enraged driver rammed him back and then attacked him after getting out. To regain health, Hooker fled into a convenience store where there was no one at the till – so he helped himself. The police quickly got on his tail. He abandoned the damaged car, stole a new one, and was then hit by another NPC car, which he decided to follow.

This led him to a compound filled with valuable items; he took them and then sought out a fence, who gave him the next tip for a heist. In the end, he had completely lost sight of the original mission.

Why Does Rockstar Consider This a Success?

For the team, this was precisely the desired experience. Hooker stated that everyone felt invigorated after the debriefing: by consistently sticking to their course, something truly special emerges. According to Hooker and his colleagues Aaron Garbut and Rob Nelson, the approximately eight-year-long development was marked by many setbacks. For a long time, it was unclear what kind of game GTA 6 would even be, how much realism the world needed, and how the gameplay would connect Jason and Lucia.

How Do Jason and Lucia Play Together?

According to Nelson, both protagonists are meant to experience Vice City together, even outside of missions. One character can invite the other to activities via text message – such as a walk in the park, hitting the gym, or even a gas station robbery. Schreier calls the AI behind this system the „most exciting innovation in GTA 6″.

For players, this means: feel free to schedule some extra time for detours on November 19th. From our perspective, this anecdote brings to mind the freedom of Red Dead Redemption 2, but even more densely packed. For more on what Rockstar has revealed about the development, read our report on Art Director Garbut and the 2022 Data Breach.

Source: GameStar

Have you ever completely lost yourself in an open-world game? Tell us in the comments!