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[QUOTE="Munyaradzi Mafaro, post: 79745, member: 636"]
A former Rockstar technical director spilled that Grand Theft Auto could have been set in Tokyo, Istanbul, Rio de Janeiro, or Moscow. Obbe Vermeij, who worked on GTA III, Vice City, San Andreas, and the next major installment, said a Tokyo version almost got made by another studio. The series famously sticks to fictional American cities like Liberty City for New York, because parodying U.S. culture is its core identity. Vermeij noted the insane financial stakes make risky locations unlikely.

He explained the safe bet is always the United States, serving as the familiar epicenter of global culture. Players recognize these places even without visiting. With development cycles now spanning over a decade and budgets ballooning, experimenting with a setting like Bogota or Toronto seems foolish. The studio will likely recycle its handful of U.S.-inspired locations, perhaps revisiting New York or Las Vegas in future titles. Vermeij believes the series is effectively stuck in this loop.

Currently, Rockstar faces accusations of union-busting after firing dozens of workers. The company alleges leaks of confidential information from offices in the United Kingdom and Canada, specifically at Rockstar Toronto. The dismissed employees deny these claims. Protests have occurred at studio locations in Edinburgh, Paris, New York, and Toronto, where the company reportedly refused to engage with demonstrators outside its Oakville office.
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