“A giant step forward” – PlayStation developers remember

“GTA III” turned 20 years old last month. In an official blog article, several Sony developers review the release of the trend-setting open world game.

With the release of “GTA III”, Rockstar Games revolutionized the open world genre. For the first time, the players were able to freely explore a three-dimensional and relatively large game world.

Brian Hastings of Insomniac Games said, “GTA III changed my understanding of what makes games fun. Before that, it was always about making jumps, defeating opponents, solving puzzles – doing the tasks that the designer had specified. GTA III was the first game in which you could provide your own entertainment. “

The revolutionary game encouraged Hastings to think carefully about the exploration and individual weapon use in “Ratchet & Clank”. This should allow the players to better express their creativity.

“One of the first major changes in game design”

The head of PlayStation London Studio said that she grew up with 2D side scrollers. A clear path was simply given here. That is why she was particularly fascinated by the freedom in such a credible game world.

“At times this freedom was overwhelming, but the opportunity to play in your own way and thus change the mood of the game has not escaped me. That was probably one of the first major upheavals in game design towards self-directed gaming, ”explains Tara Saunders.

“Perspective on an entire industry changed”

Game Director Ron Allen, who works at SIE Bend Studio, became aware of Rockstar’s new work during a press tour for the stealth game “Siphon Filter”. After seeing the title for himself, he immediately understood the huge hype. “I couldn’t believe what you could do in this game. It really opened your eyes to what was possible. It is rare for a game to appear that changes the way you view an entire industry. GTA III was such a game. “

Lead designer Richard Franke, who works for Media Molecule, speaks of a “quantum leap for the design of video games”. According to him, a standard has been created for lively and openly designed worlds that contain many procedural systems.

“One of the best games of all time”

Firesprite’s Steve Walker was also blown away by “GTA III”. The open game world was a “giant step forward”. As Technical Director, he was particularly enthusiastic about the interaction between the hand-made content and the game physics. But that was not all.

“Then there was the music, the humor and the sheer freedom – all of this makes GTA III one of the best games of all time,” said the developer.

Next week you will have the opportunity to experience “GTA III” in a completely revised form. Then “Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition” will be released for PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and PC. PlayStation Now users can download the third main branch one month later:

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You can check out all of the quotes in their entirety on the official PlayStation blog read through. Developers from Capcom and Remedy Entertainment will also have their say there.

More messages too GTA III.