As much fun as players have had with Grand Theft Auto Online over the years, it’s still unfortunate that Rockstar Games never released any GTA 5 story DLC. However, it turns out that the studio was working on single-player content at one point, and Online’s success played a role in its cancellation.

Why didn’t Rockstar make GTA 5 story DLC?

Former Rockstar developer Joe Robino recently spoke with YouTuber StanInPlay about the canceled single-player add-on. As he explained, the studio was working on GTA Online, Red Dead Redemption 2, and the canceled GTA 5 story DLC simultaneously. According to Robino, the DLC project was about halfway done when Rockstar paused development to focus on Online. The multiplayer mode’s success eventually made it difficult to justify continuing to spend resources on new single-player content.

“It was really, really good,” Robino said about the canceled GTA 5 story DLC. “But when GTA Online came out it was so much of a cash cow, and people were loving it so much that it was hard to make an argument that a standalone DLC would outcompete that. I think, looking back now, you could probably do both. But that was a business decision they made. I was a little upset about that.”

“That actually was a lot of the reason for me being a little sour at that time,” he adds. “Because I was like, yo, WTF guys? This s—’s awesome. Let’s keep going. Let’s finish this s—.”

The silver lining is that Rockstar didn’t waste everything from the unfinished GTA 5 story DLC. Instead, Robino says that a lot of it eventually made its way into Online. However, it’s still interesting for fans to imagine what could have been.

The post GTA 5 Story DLC Was Scrapped in Favor of GTA Online appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Rockstar launched Grand Theft Auto Online’s Bottom Dollar Bounties expansion last week, adding a variety of new content. However, while fans were paying attention to the new cars and missions, developers added a sneaky GTA 6 easter egg in the form of a new cosmetic item.

What’s the GTA 6 Easter egg in GTA Online?

Bottom Dollar Bounties adds a piece of jewelry called the Silver Layered Necklace to GTA Online. However, as Reddit user DogWifDreads pointed out, it’s the exact same necklace worn by the bikini-clad woman, widely believed to be co-protagonist Lucia, at the rooftop pool in the GTA 6 trailer.

A few commenters tried to determine if the new item might contain hidden information about the upcoming game. “Considering all last digits [of the price] are 0, we could skip that, and we’ll have 4 digits, a possible date and month – for something,” one wrote. However, even they acknowledged that it could be nothing, and the easter egg probably doesn’t have any deeper meaning. It could, however, indicate that Rockstar will add more GTA 6 items to GTA Online.

In addition to this shiny easter egg, GTA Online’s Bottom Dollar Bounties update adds several law-enforcement-themed missions. Players can complete bounties for Bottom Dollar Bail Enforcement or help Vince with some off-the-books police work. The expansion also adds nine new vehicles to Rockstar’s online open world.

Meanwhile, Rockstar Games’ parent company plans to release Grand Theft Auto 6 in Fall 2025. The upcoming game features two protagonists, Luica and Jason, and takes players to the Miami-inspired Vice City.

The post GTA 6 Easter Egg Added to Grand Theft Auto Online appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

GTA publisher Take-Two Interactive has announced that it’ll be laying off 5% of its staff alongside canceling some games. This development comes weeks after CEO Strauss Zelnick said that the company has “no current plans” for redundancies.

GTA parent Take-Two set to lose around 600 employees

In a note submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Take-Two said that it anticipates losing nearly 600 of its employees as part of a “cost reduction program” that’ll also see the publisher cancel “several” game projects in the pipeline. Take-Two owns a number of studios including Rockstar Games and the recently-acquired Borderlands developer Gearbox. Rockstar’s last main release was 2013’s GTA V.

“The Company is rationalizing its pipeline and eliminating several projects in development and streamlining its organizational structure, which will eliminate headcount and reduce future hiring needs,” Take-Two says. “The Company estimates that it will incur approximately $160 million to $200 million in total charges in connection with the [cost-cutting] Plan.”

It’s currently unclear how many of Take-Two’s studios have been affected but we’re likely to find out in due course as employees often take to social media in search of new opportunities.

Take-Two is the latest in an ever-growing list of game companies, including PlayStation, that are laying off employees en masse.

The post GTA Publisher Take-Two Announces Game Cancellations and Layoffs appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Update:

Rockstar Games has confirmed that it’ll release a trailer for GTA 6 in December.

Original story:

Known journalist Jason Schreier reports that Rockstar Games plans to reveal Grand Theft Auto 6 (GTA 6) as early as this week. This is the first credible report of a GTA 6 announcement following a series of rumors and an infamous hack that leaked the game’s content.

GTA 6 reveal trailer to follow next month, Bloomberg claims

Writing for Bloomberg, Schreier said that he received information from sources familiar with Rockstar’s plans that a GTA 6 trailer will be published in December to celebrate the developer’s 25th anniversary. It isn’t immediately clear what the announcement this week will entail, and Rockstar understandably did not respond to Schreier’s request for comment.

Earlier this year, publisher Take-Two Interactive ended up fueling speculations when it said that it expected a record fiscal year in 2025. FY2025 will start in April 2024 and end in March 2025. Take-Two said that it plans to launch “several groundbreaking titles” and if GTA 6 is among them, the game should be out before March 2025.

In light of Schreier’s report, this timeline does seem to make sense. Fans are now eagerly awaiting an announcement between today and Friday, and we’ll find out soon enough what Rockstar has in store.

The post GTA 6 Reveal Reportedly Coming This Week (Update) appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Rockstar Games has lost veteran writer Michael Unsworth, whose works include Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption games. Unsworth’s departure was revealed by a recent update to his LinkedIn profile.

Michael Unsworth worked on GTA IV and V and both Red Dead Redemption games

In a career spanning more than 16 years, Unsworth worked as a creative lead on a number of projects. Other than the GTA and Red Dead Redemption series, he worked on Max Payne 3 and L.A. Noire. His most recent role at Rockstar was vice president of writing.

According to Unsworth’s LinkedIn page, he left sometime this year. It’s unclear if he worked on GTA VI or not since his profile makes no mention of the game. It’s possible that he purposely skipped any mention of GTA VI to avoid speculations and unwanted attention.

Unfortunately for Unsworth, the update to his LinkedIn profile was enough to spark speculations. Fans have expressed concerns over the timing of his departure, especially considering his seniority at Rockstar.

While GTA VI is confirmed to be in development, there’s no word of its release or even a reveal. Rumors continue to swirl about the game’s launch window, but so far, we’ve seen nothing concrete.

The post GTA, Red Dead Redemption Writer Leaves Rockstar After 16+ Years appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

There seems to be no end to GTA 6 rumors and speculations, and some projections from Rockstar’s parent company could fuel things even more.

A possible early 2025 release?

According to a statement from Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick (as reported by VGC), the holding company is expecting a “significant inflection point in fiscal 2025.”

He adds that this will “include record levels of operating performance,” suggesting that this particular year is going to be a very good one for both Take-Two and Rockstar.

Now, on the surface, this appears to be nothing more than Zelnick giving a brief outline as to how well the company will be doing in the future. But no doubt many will look a little deeper into this comment about “record levels.”

It’s likely that a lot of people will see this as an indication that GTA 6 could be released in 2025, which would certainly factor into Take-Two’s potential “significant inflection.”

Indeed, the report from VGC itself speculates that the game could be heading for a March 2025 release at the latest.

Of course, it’s impossible to say whether or not this is true. Neither Rockstar nor any other party directly involved with the game’s development has confirmed any launch window as of yet.

However, that doesn’t stop people from getting their hopes up. Just a few months ago, there was a rumor going around that GTA 6 could hit the shelves as early as 2024. Again, there’s no evidence for this, so keep those high expectations under wraps for now.

Given that Grand Theft Auto 5 is fast approaching its tenth year, the arrival of GTA 6 can’t be long off, surely. Having said that, all anyone can do is keep guessing until either Rockstar or Take-Two make an official announcement. Whenever that will be.

The post Take-Two Expects ‘Record’ Fiscal Year Fueling GTA 6 Speculation appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Actress Leslie Lluvet has denied rumors that she’s part of the Grand Theft Auto 6 cast. Fans have been clamoring for information about the game ever since the big leak last September, and in the absence of official news, some folks have been digging up random résumés and contacting actors.

Leslie Lluvet is not part of GTA 6 cast

Lluvet has long been rumored to be the actress behind leaked protagonist Lucia. She has been bombarded with comments and messages from fans, prompting her to address the matter on Instagram. As spotted by a Reddit user, Lluvet took to Instagram stories a week ago to put a rest to the rumor and ask fans to stop bothering her.

“I’m getting bombarded with messages on the new Grand Theft Auto game,” Lluvet wrote. “I’m not Lucia y’all, I’m Zenia from Far Cry 6. Stop messaging me, people lol.”

Prior to this, fans speculated that actor Bryan Zampella was one of GTA 6’s protagonists named Jason. This rumor was eventually denied by an insider, but not before Zampella decided to troll fans by posting photos wearing outfits that resembled scenes from GTA games.

Rockstar Games has yet to announce GTA 6, let alone confirm its cast or gameplay information.

The post GTA 6 Casting Rumor Denied by Voice Actress appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

The latest GTA Online update has angered some members of the community, as Rockstar has removed nearly 200 cars, with some of them being locked behind a paywall instead of freely available.

Where did the

The latest update to GTA Online, the San Andreas Mercenaries update, has officially arrived in the game, and now that fans are getting their hands on it, they noticed that a ton of cars previously in the game are no longer around (via Kotaku). While Rockstar did note that some “lesser-used” cars would be removed from the in-game shops, fans have quickly realized that nearly 200 cars have been taken out of the game.

Worse yet for fans, they have discovered that, while some cars have been removed completely, some of them have been removed as available to purchase normally and instead been added into the GTA Online+ subscription. This premium subscription membership includes a variety of rewards for players to claim, including vehicles, liveries, clothing, and more, but is only available to PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S players.

For players who already owned the cars that have been removed, they will still be available to drive around and use, but newer players won’t have that option. Rockstar did say that cut cars have the chance of coming back again occasionally. However, users quickly took to social media to air their frustrations, although Rockstar has yet to officially comment on the news.

The new GTA Online update will have players joining up in the Los Santos Angels, a group of elite pilots who are trying to take down the private military faction Merryweather Security. As part of the Los Santos Angels, players will play through various missions that have them stealing data from server farms, conducting raids, and more.

Of course, the update is also set to include new things for players to play with as well, including a brand-new tactical SMG, daily time trials, new vehicles, and more. Rockstar has also said it addressed a handful of player-requested improvements to the game.

The post New GTA Online Update Removes Almost 200 Cars, Angers Fans appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Grand Theft Auto 6 is one of the most anticipated video games of all time. The developers at Rockstar know this — and that’s a tough line to walk when making the game, according to Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick,

Speaking during a recent appearance on the Good Time Show podcast (via VGC), Zelnick was asked about the game. According to the CEO, it’s difficult to make something new and exciting while ensuring the game feels familiar enough for established fans.

“In the entertainment business… we adopt our hits like they’re part of us, they’re part of our family, you know, we have a great affinity for them and we take it personally if people screw around with them, like it’s not okay if the creators make a choice that is inconsistent with how we think these hits should be developed,” said Zelnick.

The CEO also notes Rockstar faces these challenges every time a new version of Grand Theft Auto comes out. While it “needs to be something you’ve never seen before,” Zelnick also mentioned that it has to still feel like the series fans have come to know and love.

“I think that’s a challenge that the folks at Rockstar face every time there’s a new iteration of Grand Theft Auto,” Zelnick said. “It needs to be something you’ve never seen before on one hand, and it needs to reflect the feeling that we have about Grand Theft Auto, and that’s a big challenge for the team. Now, Rockstar’s answer is just seek perfection, seek nothing short of perfection and we’ll get there.”

What do we know about Grand Theft Auto 6?

Not a whole lot is known about the next Grand Theft Auto at present. The title is definitely in development, with recent comments suggesting that the game could come out sometime in 2024. Last year, very early footage of the game leaked online, and showcased new mechanics in the early stages of development at Rockstar.

The post GTA 6 ‘Needs to Be Something You’ve Never Seen Before,’ says Take-Two CEO appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.

Tom Sizemore, best known in gaming as the voice actor for villain Sonny Forelli in GTA Vice City, has passed away at the age of 61. Also known for his roles in the films Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, the actor died on Friday, March 3, at his home after suffering from a brain aneurysm as the result of a stroke the month before.

Voice actor for Tommy Vercetti also passed away within a year

As reported by TMZ, Tom Sizemore was rushed to the ER at 2 am on February 18 and was listed in critical condition. Charles Lago, Tom’s manager, stated that his condition had not improved after a week in a coma in the ICU.

Sizemore played the iconic role of Sonny Forelli, a charismatic crime boss who manipulated protagonist Tommy Vercetti throughout GTA Vice City. Sizemore’s vocal performance shined through several famous lines by Forelli, particularly one where he tells Tommy: “That’s my style because I seem to have this problem in my life with unreliable people. Don’t be an unreliable person, Tommy, please.”

Sizemore is survived by his brother Paul Sizemore; his two twin sons, Jagger and Jayden Sizemore; and his partner, Janelle McIntire.

Ray Liotta, the voice actor for Tommy Vercetti, also passed away this year on May 26, 2022. Liotta also died in his sleep, during the production of the film Dangerous Waters in the Dominican Republic.

The post Tom Sizemore, GTA Vice City Voice Actor, Passes Away at 61 appeared first on PlayStation LifeStyle.