In a surprising twist, the newly revealed Grand Theft Auto Online multiplayer that’s included free with every single copy of Grand Theft Auto V won’t actually launch until October 1st, two weeks after Grand Theft Auto V.
Leslie Benzies, President of Rockstar North, explained why this is to CVG, while also detailing how the tools for the Creator won’t be available from the start:
Initially, you’ll be able to create races and deathmatches, which are probably the simplest. And then, over time, when we feel comfortable that people are ready to get the new creators, they will be released. So it’ll be a trickle, but it’ll be a constant release of new creators and new content. We don’t want to overdo it. It’s a complex system. That’s another reason for the two week delay between single-player and Online. We want to give people an opportunity to actually get their heads around what’s happened, because even single-player is a big advancement from the old games. There’s a lot of new things to learn.
Though Rockstar could have released GTA Online at the same time as GTA V, Leslie said, “We want it to be known as a different entity, a separate thing, and it’ll grow on its own. It’ll be GTA Online; it’s not part of GTA V. Obviously it’s set in the GTA V engine, but it’s going to grow and evolve into its own thing.”
Taking place “slightly before the events of GTA V,” GTA Online won’t see your stats from the single player portion of the game, and when October 1st rolls around, “You’ll have an extra character on your Switch Wheel. Instead of choosing Franklin, Michael or Trevor, you’ll select your multiplayer character and you’ll be sucked straight in there.
GTA Online is set to launch with “hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of missions,” but for the future of content they “already have plans for what the next world holds in terms of missions, new content, clothes, apartments, for the next while.” What will also determine the future of content for GTA Online also depends on what people are playing because “we’re putting a lot of effort into the back end, so we can keep an eye on exactly how long people are spending in deathmatches, races, and all the other modes – just to see what they’re doing. And if we see any peaks anywhere, then we know where to concentrate our efforts.”
For exactly how you’ll gain access to Grand Theft Auto Online on October 1st with your copy of Grand Theft Auto V, “There may be a tiny download, but it’ll just be a code. We’ve just got to figure out how that will work with Sony and Microsoft.”
Has Grand Theft Auto Online solidified your purchase of Grand Theft Auto V? Let us know in the comments below.
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