Rockstar Veteran Reveals Abandoned Plans for GTA to Venture into Tokyo, Istanbul, and Moscow

Rockstar seriously considered the possibility of relocating Grand Theft Auto to Japan. This was revealed by former technical director of Rockstar North, Obbe Vermeij, who contributed to GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, and GTA IV. According to him, the project GTA: Tokyo was certainly feasible, but ultimately it never came to fruition.

In an interview with GamesHub, Vermeij explained that they intended to collaborate with an external studio from Japan. This team was supposed to utilize Rockstar‘s engine and resources to develop a complete entry in the series set in Tokyo. Although the developer did not specify why the idea fell apart, it led to the franchise firmly establishing itself in an American context.

Interestingly, Tokyo wasn’t the only option on the table. The studio also discussed potential settings in Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, and Istanbul. However, the increasing scale of projects and extended production timelines ultimately halted such experiments. As Vermeij noted, under the current model, releasing GTA in new countries has become virtually unfeasible.

Vermeij pointed out that the development cycle has stretched over a decade—it’s been 12 years since the last major installment of GTA. At this pace, Rockstar cannot afford frequent changes in settings. Moreover, the series has long been associated with a satirical portrayal of the United States. Players aren’t likely to reject a new GTA simply because previous installments featured the same cities—the technology and storytelling methods have evolved significantly. Because of this, gamers remain eager to return once again to Vice City, Liberty City, and Los Santos.