Former Rockstar Executive Discusses Canceled GTA: Tokyo
GTA: Tokyo was one of the most striking ideas from the period when Rockstar considered expanding the series beyond the US. Former Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij previously revealed that Tokyo was considered alongside cities like Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, and Istanbul. Now, he’s provided more details on how the project would be played, which team would develop it, and which elements specific to Japan it would utilize.
GTA: Tokyo Would Bring the GTA III Formula to Japan
According to Vermeij, the project was largely handled by Rockstar’s New York office. The plan was to preserve the core structure of GTA III while adapting the game to Tokyo. In other words, the gameplay formula wouldn’t change completely, but different mechanics would be added due to the city and culture. The most notable of these was the significant role of samurai swords.
The development model was also going to be similar to Bully. Rockstar North’s technology and code would be given to a separate team based in Japan, and the local studio would develop the game largely independently. Rockstar reportedly believed this would allow them to more accurately reflect Japanese culture. However, the contracts between the parties were never signed.
Vermeij also mentions that Sam Houser met with the Japanese team and that GTA producer Leslie Benzies was more closely involved with the project. Despite this, GTA: Tokyo never actually went into production. It’s specifically noted that the presence of the Yakuza gang in GTA III wasn’t preparation for the Tokyo project.
Other cities like London, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Moscow, and Istanbul were also discussed within Rockstar. However, according to Vermeij, the massive budgets and development times of today’s GTA games make experimenting with such diverse cities much riskier. Therefore, GTA: Tokyo remains one of the most intriguing “what if” projects in the series.
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