The Grand Theft Auto series has become one of the most successful and influential franchises in video game history, but the path to its current status was far from straightforward. A recent deep dive into Rockstar Games' history has revealed a stash of canceled projects, alternate versions, and "what if" scenarios that paint a fascinating picture of how the series could have evolved differently.
One of the most intriguing revelations (thanks to Time Extension) is that Rockstar seriously considered setting a GTA game in Tokyo. In the early 2000s, fresh off the success of GTA III, Rockstar co-founder Sam Houser was reportedly "caught up with the Tokyo scene" during promotional trips to Japan.
The idea of the Yakuza and a neon-soaked open world was alluring, but ultimately proved too logistically challenging. The research required to accurately map the city and create culturally appropriate satire was deemed too daunting, leading Rockstar to stick with fictional American cities.
Before GTA went 3D, there was a brief flirtation with a very different direction. A tech demo dubbed "Godzilla Takes Manhattan" was developed for the Dreamcast, allowing players to stomp around a city as a giant monster. While this kaiju concept never materialized into a full game, elements of its 3D city technology would later influence GTA III's development.
