Grand Theft Auto V GTA 5 Trailers
Grand Theft Auto V,
commonly shortened to GTA V, is an upcoming open world action-adventure
video game being developed by Rockstar North in the United Kingdom and
published by Rockstar Games.[7] The game will be the first major title
in the Grand Theft Auto series since Grand Theft Auto IV (2008),[8] and a
continuation of the fictional universe that was introduced in that
game.[9] The 15th game in the series overall,[10] GTA V is to be set in
fictional Los Santos in the state of San Andreas and its surrounding
areas, based on modern-day Los Angeles and Southern California.[6][11] A
rendition of Los Santos was previously featured as one of three cities
in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released in 2004.[12][13][a]
According
to Rockstar, Grand Theft Auto V is destined to be their biggest open
world game to date.[14] The game will concentrate on "the pursuit of the
almighty dollar".[15] In a break with recent tradition, GTA V will
feature three playable protagonists.[16]
Grand Theft
Auto V was officially announced on 25 October 2011, after much
speculation.[17][18] The debut trailer for the game was unveiled on 2
November 2011.[19][20][21] The first demo of the game was revealed to
press on 11 October 2012.[22] The second trailer of GTA V was announced
on 5 November 2012,[23] and released on 14 November 2012.[24][25][26]
A
highly anticipated game,[27][28][29][30][31] GTA V is due for release
on 17 September 2013,[5] for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360.[32] A
release for the PC or Wii U is being considered by Rockstar, but has not
been officially announced.[33]
Contents
Gameplay
Grand
Theft Auto V "evolves nearly every mechanic"[34] found in previous
games in the series. GTA V's world is bigger than the worlds of Red Dead
Redemption, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV
combined. Areas in the game world include beach fronts, mountains, the
wilderness, a "Salton Sea" region, a military base and the suburbs. The
ocean floor is fully detailed and can be explored.[35]
GTA
V's single-player story is told through three player-controlled
protagonists. They are Michael, Trevor and Franklin, criminals whose
stories interconnect as they complete missions together. During story
missions, the player can switch between the protagonists as they work
together to accomplish an objective; in one such mission, Michael
rappels down the side of a building, Franklin provides covering fire
with a sniper rifle, and Trevor controls the getaway helicopter.[36]
Outside
of missions, the player is free to swap between the protagonists and
explore the game's open world, which includes a fully-fledged ecosystem.
The camera zooms out to a "Google Earth-style" perspective when
switching characters and then drops into wherever the chosen character
is. Even when the player is not controlling them, each character will
still go about their own business across Los Santos. As any of the
protagonists, the player can engage in activities such as yoga,
triathlons, Jet Skiing, base-jumping, tennis, golf, scuba diving or go
to the gym. Each character will have unique hobbies, which can be
completed with the protagonists' friends, but the dating system from GTA
IV does not return. San Andreas' RPG-like player customisation is also
absent, but the player can customise the clothing of each character.[37]
Characters can "flip off" people, "something Rockstar recommends you do
in varied circumstances to see different reactions from people".
Depending on the area, people react differently.[34][36]
The
mobile phone introduced in GTA IV returns, but many of its features
have been altered. The mobile phone is mainly used for activities and
can also be used to access the in-game internet. There will be a
"vibrant and fun" economy system, but the player won't be able to buy
property as in Vice City and Vice City Stories . Shooting has evolved "a
long way" in terms of feel and mechanics, and the melee combat is
improved over that of previous GTA titles.[37]
GTA V
will feature more vehicles than in any GTA to date, including huge
variety of cars, trucks, bikes, helicopters, planes, ATVs and jet skis.
The cars will feel less "boatlike" than in GTA IV, they will "hold on
better to the ground" and the driving mechanic will feel "more like a
racing game".[37]
Multiplayer
Multiplayer will
feature "Crews" similar to Max Payne 3. The new Social Club
functionality will connect play across multiple titles, starting with
Max Payne 3 and GTA V. By playing both games' multiplayer, crews that
the player set up in one will be carried over to the other. GTA V will
let players form private crews with friends, or join public crews.
Players can be a member of up to five at the same time, and completing
tasks as a crew will gain experience points for the player.[38] In late
2012, Rockstar said that "refining open-world multiplayer into something
really special" had been a huge focus in the development of GTA V.[39]
Premise
The
narrative of the game follows three characters with interconnected
stories. Michael is a retired former bank robber in his early forties
who lives with his dysfunctional family on the proceeds of his former
life in the upper-class suburb of Rockford Hills, based on Beverly
Hills. Trevor Phillips, his former partner, lives alone in a trailer in
the desert of Blaine County, his reckless and psychopathic behaviours
being fuelled by a drug addiction. Franklin makes a living in Vespucci
Beach — based on Venice Beach — as a repo man for an unscrupulous
Armenian car dealership. The three acquaintances are drawn into Los
Santos' criminal underworld "in the pursuit of the almighty American
dollar".[14] According to Dan Houser, each of the protagonists is unlike
any primary character that has appeared in a Grand Theft Auto title to
date:[40] Michael represents a protagonist who "won" and is now trying
to adjust to life after his story has come to an end; Trevor is styled
after a supporting character who has been re-cast in the role of
protagonist; and Franklin is someone who has had no real exposure to a
life of crime until the events of the game.
Development
Grand Theft Auto series
fictional chronology
2D universe
1961 – London, 1961
1969 – London, 1969
1997 – Grand Theft Auto
1999 – Grand Theft Auto 2
3D universe
1984 – Vice City Stories
1986 – Vice City
1992 – San Andreas
1998 – Liberty City Stories
2000 – Advance
2001 – Grand Theft Auto III
HD universe
2008 – Grand Theft Auto IV
– The Lost and Damned
– The Ballad of Gay Tony
2009 – Chinatown Wars
TBA – Grand Theft Auto V
In
September 2009 during an earnings call, Take-Two Interactive CEO
Strauss Zelnick answered a listener's question about the next Grand
Theft Auto. He replied, "We're not going to announce it, we're not going
to announce when we are going to announce it, and we are not going to
announce a strategy about announcing it or about when we are going to
announce it either, or about the announcement strategy surrounding the
announcement of the strategy."[41]
In a November 2009
interview with The Times, Grand Theft Auto producer Dan Houser discussed
his work, including the future of the series. Houser stated that he
planned to co-write a script that reached about one thousand pages in
length. In the same interview, Houser explained the company's basic
workflow of creating new games in the series, which involves coming up
with the city first, and then the lead character later.[1][42][43]
In
July 2010, Rockstar North posted seven job ads related to a new title.
The firm looked to fill positions including environment artists, physics
programmers and character animators. The job ad for the latter asking
for those with "professional experience developing a third person action
game". It was unknown if Rockstar was hiring for GTA V, or the firm was
bulking up its Agent team.[44]
In June 2011, sources
allegedly close to the developer told GameSpot that the title is "well
under way", with final touches like mini-games already being applied,
and a 2012 release "pretty likely". "It's the big one," they also said
of the game, noting that GTA V's scale is vast.[45]
Dan
Houser said that though GTA V will introduce a musical score for
missions inspired by previous Rockstar titles Red Dead Redemption and
Max Payne 3, the series' traditional radio stations will remain.[46] The
immense size of Los Santos was necessary to accommodate flying.[47] Dan
Houser said that he argued against a new installment leaving the
series' traditional US setting.[48] The idea to include three main
protagonists in GTA V came from the interweaving plots of GTA IV's
Episodes from Liberty City expansions.[49] Houser argued that all of the
best games come out at the end of each generation, stating that the
time has been spent getting the most out of current tech.[50] Rockstar
North head Leslie Benzies stated that "we hope that GTA V will do for
multiplayer open world games what GTA III did for open world
single-player games."[51]
In January 2013, two investment companies increased their share in Take-Two months ahead of the release of GTA V.[52]
Marketing
Announcements
On
25 October 2011, Rockstar Games announced Grand Theft Auto V via their
Twitter account, which included the #GTAV hashtag and a link to their
homepage, which displayed the game's logo.[53] The 'V' in the logo is
styled like a bank note.[54] A message was printed below the logo
stating that a trailer would be released on 2 November 2011.[55] The
following day, Rockstar put a Grand Theft Auto V trailer countdown on
their homepage.[56] Shares of Take-Two Interactive, the parent company
of Rockstar Games, jumped seven percent following the revelation that
Grand Theft Auto V is in development.[57] Around the same time, video
game website Kotaku claimed that it had been told that rumours about
Rockstar being set to make a switch to reality by recreating real-world
Los Angeles for GTA V "are true" by "a source familiar with the game".
Kotaku said that GTA V will be set in "some version of L.A." and also
claimed that multiple sources are saying that the game will feature more
than just one playable character.[58][59][60]
On 2
November 2011, Rockstar released the debut trailer for Grand Theft Auto
V.[61] Giving fans a first look at the upcoming title, the trailer
revealed the setting to be Los Santos, the fictional version of Los
Angeles and its California surroundings, including Hollywood
("Vinewood") and rural hills and valleys, and revolved around the story
of Michael.[62] Additional features revealed in the trailer included
golf, planes, jetskis, and a working gym. The song used in the trailer
is "Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake" by the British band The Small Faces.[63]
The Vinewood sign, as seen in the original Grand Theft Auto V trailer.[64]
On
3 November 2011, Rockstar Games announced that Grand Theft Auto V was
in full development and that it would take place within Los Santos and
its "surrounding hills, countryside and beaches", and that it would be
"the largest and the most ambitious game Rockstar has yet created", with
Sam Houser describing it as a "radical reinvention of the Grand Theft
Auto universe".[65] A version of Los Santos was previously featured in
2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, along with two other cities that
were part of that rendition of the state of San Andreas (Las Venturas
and San Fierro, based on Las Vegas and San Francisco, respectively).
Rockstar parent Take-Two called GTA V "a bold new direction in
open-world freedom, storytelling, mission-based gameplay and online
multiplayer," while confirming that its story will focus on "the pursuit
of the almighty dollar in a re-imagined, present-day Southern
California." No release date or platforms were provided in the
announcement.[6]
On 8 November 2011, Take-Two's second
quarter financial earnings report included an update on future product
launch dates, with the newest game to be added to the list was GTA V,
which carried a "TBA" release.[66] On 2 February 2012, during Take-Two's
third quarter financial report, CEO Strauss Zelnick said developer
Rockstar is making "incredible progress".[67] On 13 February 2012, in a
Question and Answer section on their blog, a nameless Rockstar
representative said that the developer is toiling away diligently and
hopes to reveal more in a few months time.[68][69]
Five images
depicting locations in GTA V were framed from five different image
viewers, a collectible for those who pre-order the game.[70]
On
29 October 2012, it was reported that a Polish fan site had published
an image of some pre-order posters, which suggested that GTA V would
arrive in "Spring 2013". The image contains the previous "Pest Control"
artwork, as well as a previously-unseen illustration of a thug with a
baseball bat and an angry-looking dog on a chain.[71] A day later, it
was reported that a branch of the British videogame retailer Game in
Brighton published a similar picture of GTA V artwork on Twitter, again
showing a spring 2013 release date. The promotional material shows off a
new set of artwork for the game, including a female police officer,
arresting a blonde woman, and a gun-toting man (later revealed to be
Trevor) on a quad bike.[72] Later that day, Rockstar announced that GTA V
will be released sometime during Q2 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox
360, and that pre-orders would begin on 5 November 2012.[73] On 1
November 2012, a user on the GTAForums spotted an apparent piece of
pre-order artwork for the game in a Walmart store in Toronto. The
promotional material shows another version of the blonde woman (without
Vasquez).[74] Around the same time, a number of locations from the game
was revealed in a set of exclusive screenshots for pre-order customers.
The images were housed in miniature picture viewers, a collectible for
those who pre-order the game.[75]
Rockstar intended to
release Grand Theft Auto V's second promotional trailer on 2 November
2012, the first anniversary of the release of the game's debut trailer
in 2011. However, Hurricane Sandy severed power in Rockstar's New York
offices, effectively delaying the release.[76] The trailer was later
released on 14 November 2012.[77] The trailer focuses on all three
protagonists, depicting their relationship with other characters and the
areas in which they reside, such as scenes showing Michael and his son
are often in urban uptown areas. Additional features revealed in the
trailer included tennis, dirtbike racing, skydiving, jets and freight
trains hauling tankers and cargo containers. The song used in the
trailer is "Skeletons" by American singer, songwriter Stevie Wonder.[78]
On
31 January 2013, Rockstar announced that GTA V would miss its original
spring launch window, and would be released on 17 September 2013.
Rockstar Games founder Sam Houser attributed the delay for "extra
development time" on the project.[79]
Promotion
On
12 July 2012, in a Q&A section on their blog, Rockstar released two
new screenshots from the game, and stated "We just have not been in a
position to show more of the game than the trailer and will not be for a
while yet."[80] On 31 July 2012, during Take-Two's first quarter
financial call, a representative from Take-Two said that GTA V "is in
full development and making substantial progress".[81][82] On 20 August
2012, Rockstar released a trio of new screenshots on their blog,
entitled "Transport", showing an in-game car, a jet, and confirming the
return of pedal bikes.[83] Two days later, Rockstar released three new
screenshots from the game highlighting leisure activities; tennis, dirt
biking and parachuting.[84][85] On 24 August 2012, Rockstar released
four new screenshots on their website, entitled "Business", showing
criminal activities in the game such as flying planes, stealing cars and
shooting at police helicopters.[86] On 24 October 2012, Rockstar
released the first official artwork, titled Pest Control, and stated
"Lots of info coming next month. Get ready."[87] On 8 November 2012,
Game Informer's GTA V cover story was revealed in their December
issue.[88] On Christmas Eve 2012, Rockstar released five new screenshots
for GTA V, showing a plane, fighter jet, blimp, shark, scuba gear,
submarine, and a rottweiler in the passenger seat of a car.[89]
Rockstar
are collaborating with several retail outlets on pre-order bonuses
available through store chains throughout the world. Which of the
pre-order bonuses the player received depends upon where they pre-order
the game. Early pre-order customers received an image viewer keychains,
offering players an "exclusive look at new locations within the game".
There are five different image viewers, each showing off a location from
GTA V. At GameStop, early players also received a double-sided
poster.[90] The official online Rockstar Games store, the Rockstar
Warehouse, offers a "KIFFLOM" T-shirt as the pre-order bonus. The
T-shirt is a light-blue colour with "KIFFLOM" printed on the front in
white, and the phrase "The Tract is not yet Written" on the back.
"KIFFLOM" is the motto of a fictional religious cult called "Epsilon",
within the GTA universe.[91]