It’s Just So Damn Good
Before we break things down more analytically, Grand Theft Auto V’s is quite simply a very good video game. It is the culmination of Rockstar’s two decades of experience in bringing to life expansive open world environments. GTA V is a near perfect balance of beautiful aesthetic, sumptuous game design, clever writing, and Hollywood levels of cinematic production.
Of course, the franchise is best known for its city sandbox, drugs and violence, and nihilistic satire on western society. Tying all of that together, though, is Rockstar’s commitment to quality, which has been at the core of GTA since the original PS era. Having enjoyed overwhelming critical acclaim across all its games, it would have been easy for Rockstar to rest on its laurel, but rather than simply rinse and repeat, each new game has brought fresh innovations.
GTA V continues that trend, adding multiple playable characters an even more intense narrative. GTA V’s vibrant open world features a host of optional side quests and activities on a scale greater than any previous open world game before it.
Remaster Done Right
Launched in 2013, GTA V was a swan song for the last generation and if its success was to continue, it was always going to have to be made available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. But in typical fashion, Rockstar wasn’t content with simply porting the game, adding an all new first person mode as well as remastering GTA V’s visual aesthetic. The change utterly reinvented the game, giving first time and veteran GTA V players a genuine reason to purchase or repurchase.
It was a clever move from the publisher, cashing in on renewed interest and second-time buyers, all keen to experience “next generation” GTA. The upgrade was well-timed, too, with GTA V’s online content, which despite having been active for nearly a year, was starting to hit its stride after a shaky launch.
Successful Multiplayer
After the aforementioned shaky start, GTA Online has grown into one of the most successful multiplayer games of all time. A shared online environment, GTA Online turns Los Santos into an MMORPG, incorporating cooperative missions and raids. GTA Online breathed fresh life into the game, quickly becoming a popular internet hang-out where gamers could meet up and form gangs to enjoy team-based action.
For some gamers, it is the ultimate expression of the urban open world design – a living, breathing digital city populated with real people. GTA Online has expanded on the game’s single-player offering in every way, and the jump in scope is arguably as marked as the first time GTA was realized in 3D back on PS2.
The extent to which the online mode resonated with gamers cannot be understated. GTA V remains more than just relevant among contemporary games – it is consistently among the best selling games across PSN and Xbox Live, 5 years after launch.
GTA Online has become part of internet pop culture, too, with thanks to Rockstar supporting the game via a massive social media imperative. Shared YouTube videos showcasing all new game modes and amusing emergent gameplay has helped to keep GTA Online at the forefront of mainstream gaming.
The Digital Marketplace
Online connectivity has influenced every facet of the gaming industry and transformed the dynamic of software sales. GTAV perhaps provides the greatest case study in which the monetization of video games has so drastically evolved. The digital market brings the store shelf to the gamers’ front room, giving publishers a permanent space with which to market its product. With flash sales, free bonus content, bundles, online stores mean GTA V is always there, just a click away.
But it is in-game purchases that have by far and away been the biggest earner for Rockstar, with the publisher making an astonishing amount of money from its 10 million active users. It is this that has been arguably the most influential factor in why GTA V has continued to stay relevant.
In essence, there’s just no incentive for Rockstar to make a new GTA game when it’s making hand over fist money on GTA V’s online component. The margin on in-game purchases is infinitely higher than investing significant time into developing entirely new games, and GTAV has no shortage of individuals willing to spend shedloads. Rockstar, understandably, will continue to nurture the platform for as long as it can, which is its likely to stick around for some time into the future.
Mods & Iterative Design
While the original game earned critical acclaim, GTAV has largely succeeded because of its flexibility as an iterative platform. It is among the first generation of video games that has been built upon continually since launch, with new content consistently being added, especially to its multiplayer mode. Online Los Santos feels alive for more reasons than its population of multiplayer gamers, but also because it is a constantly evolving space.
Los Santos has changed with the times and its features and modes have expanded exponentially since launch. This concept is at the core of what has kept gamers so interested in GTA’s world – there’s just so much to do and so much being added all the time.
User made modifications (“mods”), particularly on PC, have also played a huge role in keeping gamers interested in GTA V. And what is incredible about these mods is that they range from small additional features to massive overhauls. Small mods such as playable superheroes, various weather effects, or the addition of dragons turn GTA V’s sandbox into a giant urban playground. But there are much larger mods, too, that fundamentally change the core of GTA V’s gameplay, keeping gamers engaged in hundreds of hours of additional content.
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