Going by previous installments, it’s safe to say there will be a plethora of ways to approach GTA 6. You could tackle the main story, or just explore at your own free will, or role-play, or do whatever else takes your fancy. It’s all valid, and Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser believes that’s the strength of this kind of game.
Speaking at the Tribeca Festival in New York City, Houser, who served as a producer and narrative lead at Rockstar for years, explains his perspective on whether you can play an open-world game wrong. “If someone enjoyed a game, that’s great. If you can’t finish a story, but you loved it in other ways: Great, I don’t care,” he says, as transcribed by IGN.
“I mean, I would like it if you finish the story because I spent ages on it. If you enjoyed it, that’s enough for you,” he adds. Houser then points out that since the jump to PlayStation 2, Rockstar’s actually incorporated various elements to pull players toward the main story instead of completely abandoning it for rampages or side missions.
“The whole point of an open world game is we provide guides. We want you to experience the story,” Houser explains. “Our goal was always – from GTA 3 onwards – to try and get more and more people to finish the story. And the numbers went up and up; they used to be pretty level. But ultimately, that’s up to the player.”
If people prefer “mucking around” and “messing with the systems,” then the game’s still a success, because the mechanics are what make the release what it is. “The most fun thing about the game isn’t any rubbish we write, it’s the systems that we make,” he muses.
Both the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption games are gigantic playgrounds, and what gives them longevity is the sense of freedom. The main plot is there and satisfying enough, but it’s the fact you can just as easily go off on one, or poke around the map endlessly, on a total whim that makes them feel distinct.
Houser doubles down by stating player choice is crucial to the entire dynamic. “[What’s] always gonna be the most fun is being in this world, seeing what happens when you jump off this building, when you punch that person, you drive that car, when you interact with this thing, or that thing, whatever way,” he adds.
“That’s always gonna have a sort of magical quality to it, and we are on some level on the story side, just the icing on the cake,” he says to finish. “We can’t be precious about what they do. We can encourage them to play it the way we want them to play it. But we have to give them agency.”
