There was almost a GTA game in Tokyo

Grand Theft Auto has maintained its reputation as a franchise set in America, but according to an ex-Rockstar dev, the company was once surprisingly close to making a game set in Tokyo. Over the years, Grand Theft Auto have ventured into their own fictional cities, such as Vice City and San Andreas, and it's fascinating to try to imagine what Rockstar's version of Tokyo would have looked like.

The Grand Theft Auto franchise has focused on crime-filled stories centered around heists and the darker corners of society, but despite the mature subject matter, Rockstar approaches it with a wild sense of humor. GTA Games have been satirical images of American pop culture and its relationship with crime, and while that's been a solid match-up, it's also compelling to imagine a scenario where Rockstar ventured outside of America and into another country. According to one of Rockstar's former CTOs, Japan was a real possibility at one point, and it could have marked a seriously big turning point for the crime-focused franchise.

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In an exclusive interview with GamesHub, Rockstar North's ex-CTO, Obbe Vermejj, revealed that the company once considered venturing into other countries and cities, with Tokyo being the closest to becoming a reality. According to Vermeij, Rockstar even had a Japan-based developer on board to take over the project. Speaking about the game, Vermeij said: “Tokyo almost actually happened. Another studio in Japan was going to do it, take our code and make GTA: Tokyo. But it didn't happen that way in the end.” Unfortunately, that's about all the information Vermeij gave in the interview. Of course, development never officially began on the project, but with a Japanese developer lined up for production, it's clear that it was at least once seriously considered. GTAs cities serve as their own characters for each game, and Tokyo would have been a fascinating direction. Even if GTA itself has not explored beyond US borders, other games inspired by the Rockstar series have stepped up.

GTA likes that are based outside America

• Sleeping dogs – Hong Kong
• Watch Dogs: Legion – London
• Mafia: The Old Country – Sicily

The above game is proof that GTA formula works outside of its American roots. Vermeij even claimed that GTAThe once-planned Tokyo spin-off was just the tip of the iceberg, saying, “We had ideas about GTA games in Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Istanbul.” Med GTA 6 Returning to Vice City, it makes one wonder what the franchise would look like today if Rockstar had decided to move away from its American focus. Vermeij had a reason why Rockstar chose to stick with one country, explaining, “America is basically the epicenter of Western culture, so everyone knows the cities, even people who haven't been there. They have a mental image of the cities.” When Rockstar was handling such big budgets, Vermeij argued that it was simply safer to stay in the US, which makes sense, but it still leaves the question of “what if?” hanging in the air.

A new one GTA games that took place on the busy streets of Tokyo would have been fascinating, but it looks like it will remain a case of what could have been rather than something that will ever actually happen. A Tokyo-based GTA would probably have included things like Yakuza and illegal Kanjo street racing, but this is pure speculation. Although it looks like Rockstar will never take GTA to a non-American city, it's really fun to imagine the possible scenarios that other places would present.

Released

September 17, 2013

ESRB

M for Adults 17+ due to blood and gore, intense violence, mature humor, nudity, strong language, strong sexual content, use of drugs and alcohol

Developer

Rockstar North