Teething problems aside, it became increasingly difficult to deny that Rockstar's sandbox still had something special to it, with its RAGE engine ragdolls and legions of helpless civilians. I remember the vapid missions, rampant griefing and random loss of character data that kicked off Rockstar's GTA Online reparations program, where players are still being gifted lump sums of apology money in exchange for putting up with bugs. In the game's first few weeks, the experience was a disaster. Wouldn't too many RPG-wielding pre-teens spoil the proverbial pot? At launch, the sceptics were vindicated.

GTA 4's online mode was a success, but it still amounted to a lonely city with an airport warzone and some rudimentary deathmatches.Īt first, GTA Online seemed too ambitious. The team had to design a world that players would want to leave the comforts of their legendary single-player narratives for. Whilst now it feels like a foregone conclusion, back in 2013, GTA Online was an exciting gambit for Rockstar.

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