Official Vice City/State in the 1980s Speculation and Discussion

[CM1]

I understand the point of this thread, but this whole being set in the 1980s thing doesn't make sense to me as the core story in a next generation title called GTA VI. Maybe as an offshoot GTA title like Vice City itself was to III or as a brief time period visited, like 2004 was in North Yankton.

 

Core series, numerically titled GTA games are rarely timepieces and are typically set in contemporary time, no ifs and buts.

 

Only 1999's retro future GTA 2, was set in 2013 (a joke in itself honestly) a la Cyberpunk 2077.

 

* GTA 1 was set in the mid-90s in reality (created 1995-97). It wasn't throwback.

 

* GTA III was set in 2001 (created 2000-01), not the 90s, 80s, or 70s. And released in 2001.

 

* GTA IV was set in 2008 (originally 2007), even if some dated elements were more 2005-06 than 2008 due to development work from 2004-05.

 

The following 2 episode packs might've been 2008-2009 settings and didn't go to the past, like in the 3D era spinoffs.

 

* GTA V was set in 2013 (originally 2012; created 2010-13)

 

GTA Online is a great big mess in that area, now chock full of anachronisms (initially predated Story Mode)

 

* GTA London 1961 and 1969 were episodic packs, timepieces. They weren't GTA 2.

 

* GTA Vice City was set in 1986 and never the truly "next" GTA. It was simply a timepiece, spinoff of GTA III like 1961 and 1969 London were to GTA 1.

 

* GTA San Andreas was set in months of early-mid 1992. It wasn't the "GTA Next" either, it was another offshoot, albeit a major one in terms of scope.

 

* GTA Vice City Stories and Liberty City Stories were not contemporary 2005-06, they were offshoots of III still and based in 1984 and 1998. Not yet IV.

 

IV was the actual next title, which closed the chapter on everything released between 2001 and 2006 and moved...FORWARD! Not back into the past.

 

 

A lot of the people who continually criticize the idea of a modern Vice City and call it boring, seem to forget that VC itself as a 2002 game, wasn't called GTA IV for a reason. It was merely a timepiece.

 

You're not gonna get timepieces as core titles.

 

It's random I mention this, but I state this as a criticism of those that forget how RG works and think a whole game called GTA VI dedicated to a 70s, 1980s, or 90s VC makes sense. It doesn't.

 

If they wanted to do a spinoff title solely based in 1979 or 1989 called GTA Casa Grande, based on VI (like TBOGBT vs IV), that's more understandable. But with the reality of Online, it seems unlikely.

 

Ultimately, you really shouldn't be expecting a past setting like that, simply because of nostalgia for Miami Vice or GTA VC's 80s theme. If based on Miami and called Vice City, it will be plainly set in the early 2020s or at worst, 2024.

 

This thread should solely be about about a limited portion of the game dedicated to the past and not a whole game in any aspect.

 

I'm not really here for rehashing 1980s Vice City in UHD, as they didn't set V in 1994-95 LA nor did they set IV in 20th Century NYC, so expecting that now is disingenuous.

 

At best 1/4th or 1/3rd of story mode would be dedicated to such a thing and no more than that. It's purely a pipe dream, to expect otherwise.

Edited February 15, 2021 by CM1

[Len Lfc]

7 hours ago, CM1 said:

Core series, numerically titled GTA games are rarely timepieces and are typically set in contemporary time, no ifs and buts.

That's not true as an objective rule. Rockstar even went on record saying numbered entries have nothing to do with time setting or location. Numbered entries only note a big change, as opposed to a small iteration.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Len Lfc

[CM1]

1 hour ago, Len Lfc said:

Th's not true as an objective rule. Rockstar even went on record saying numbered entries have nothing to do with time setting or location. Numbered entries only note a big change, as opposed to a small iteration.

I would like to see a link to that to verify it, as it clearly isn't how they operate, save for GTA 2 being retro-futuristic nonsense in a top-down setting (easy to hide dated aspects). It's going to be a mix of both or strictly modern times.

 

They didn't take the opportunity to make V a throwback to the OJ Simpson drama and set it up as a facsimile of 1994-1995 SoCal, did they? 

 

Why do any of you think an HD facsimile of Pablo Escobar afflicted Miami & Latin America is what's going to suffice now (outside of a small early portion being dedicated to such a theme)?

 

It's simply just wishing honestly, not too different than those wanting something set in the future (which is way worse by 10x over). The late 80s, especially 1989 would be an interesting era to tackle, but as the sole setting for next 5-7 years? No thank you and looking at many examples, I am confident it will not be the case. Save that for a spinoff, not the whole core story.

 

I would definitely hate the 70s or early 80s, but can swallow the very end of that decade much better. It's not going to happen anyway and not solely because Gen Z is strongly opposed to it (as many want to staunchly claim here).

 

There were many eras they could have chased for V in regards to Los Santos and yet they stuck with the present/near-present, using the early 2010s as their template.

 

The only thing we can hope for, is a nice portion of the story, split into 1989 South Florida and Latin America. Later jumping to the early 2020s.

 

Anything beyond that, is pointless, as indeed it will be off-putting and random to the general populace, used to the past 13 to 20 years, since they didn't even return to the 90s for the last game nor Y2K era (1998-August 2001) for GTA IV.

 

GTA III easily could have emulated Driver 2 and went retro to the 70s and gave them a run for their money with more features back in 2001. They didn't for a reason, in the midst of 70s nostalgia at the turn of millennium. (planning began in 1999, production in spring of 2000)

 

I personally, don't expect the modern setting, dominating LESS than 66% of any game called GTA VI, VII, or VIII. That's apparently their M.O. whether by intentional means or by unintentional coincidence.

 

I guess I will wait to see, if I'm proven wrong over the next 18 months.

 

I still doubt that the formula will change, because an additional solely-80s GTA title alongside GTA VI is the only thing I would welcome. The likelihood is small.

 

To make 1989 or earlier the main attraction for the next 5-6 years or more (circa 2023) is too niche for them, thus an unwelcome risk. GTAO still could work in a 100% 80s setting (despite naysayers), but is it desired by everyone is the question? And not solely just a nostalgic fringe group on a forum?

 

The great thing about 1989, is this was already out in April (first photo) and in the video I linked, personal computing was not common, but it wasn't a foreign concept compared to 1983 or earlier. People had laptops in 1989, as did a main character in The Cosby Show in a 1989 episode who was in her early 20s. "The Kiddies" of course don't know that, but there was some of our modern tech back then.

 

https://youtu.be/zRCBepOHaYk

With the fall of the Berlin Wall and Cold War coming to a close, it makes for an interesting period never touched on in the GTA series (skips from 1986 to 1992 to 1998 then 21st century). Only as a timeline start or visit with VI or spinoff, because leave people only that setting until VII or whatever, I doubt it will be received well in terms of longevity.

 

My perspective is,, I don't care for the malaise era of automobiles (1970s to late 80s), only saved by a few bright spots in automotive design via Germany and Italy, while Detroit and Ohio (AMC) suffered from stringent regulations ushering in restricted engines and ugly 5 MPH bumpers.

 

America barely rebounded from that in the 90s and 2000s automobiles being a bit more inspired and powerful, after it went south after the early 70s in the automotive industry, thanks to people like Ralph Nader. That is where I am coming from, since this game is called Grand Theft Auto and not Miami Vice On Wheels or My Virtual Life as A Drug Lord

Edited February 15, 2021 by CM1

[Schwartzxz]

 

1 hour ago, CM1 said:

I state this as a criticism of those that forget how RG works and think a whole game called GTA VI dedicated to a 70s, 1980s, or 90s VC makes sense. It doesn't.

there is literally no reason at all why they couldnt make GTA6 be completely set in the past. just because they never did it before with numerically titled GTA game doesnt mean that they cant or wont do it one day. 

[Len Lfc]

17 minutes ago, Damien Scott said:

Then why wasn't San Andreas called ''GTA IV''?

Running on the same engine as III & Vice City. Wasn't as drastic an overhaul as IV would be.

I'm not saying their logic is perfect. But that's what they said.

7 minutes ago, CM1 said:

would like to see a link to that to verify it

I don't have it, sadly. This was probably in 2013. I don't think it was an A&A, since I've been unable to find it since. But it could have been anywhere. May even have been a reply to a comment, back when the Newswire articles had comments. They used to reply to comments, back then. But I know it happened, as it was a big talking point back then.

 

It used to be that numbered GTA's would only take place in Liberty City. Then fans said numbered GTA's signify a new generation of consoles. It was then that we learned about the 2D, 3D & HD universes. I think Rockstar gave an explanation to what numbered GTA's mean around that same time. I can promise you that did happen. But that was long ago, and people change their minds, reasoning, etc.

3 minutes ago, Schwartzxz said:

 

there is literally no reason at all why they couldnt make GTA6 be completely set in the past. just because they never did it before with numerically titled GTA game doesnt mean that they cant or wont do it one day. 

Exactly this. After GTA IV, people argued the next GTA wouldn't be called GTA V. Fans say a lot of things. Similar with Red Dead Redemption 2 vs Red Dead Something Beginning With R.

[Len Lfc]

Here's some examples of what I mean

One of the questions asked, was why some games have a subtitle, and why others have numbers. But I can never find that article where it was answered.

 

These are from 2009 & 2011. So, it may have been fore 2013, also. They're quite old. And why most people either don't remember, or just don't know.

https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/741/updated-asked-answered-re-vice-city-red-dead-redemption-and-chin.html

https://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/19861/grand-theft-auto-iii-your-questions-answered-part-one-claude-dar.html

[CM1]

3 hours ago, Schwartzxz said:

 

there is literally no reason at all why they couldnt make GTA6 be completely set in the past. just because they never did it before with numerically titled GTA game doesnt mean that they cant or wont do it one day. 

They can decide that on a whim today and watch it flop in their faces for various reasons. But in general, they are not going to take such a risk, as they favor broad appeal and not niche appeal, by limiting their story to such a period.

 

RDR 2 is nowhere near as successful as GTA V, despite being written better and better interface, because not everyone cares for the old tyme setting outside of the players in the Western Hemisphere (well, aside from GTA being more established).

 

The ability to play in a open sandbox setting, a facsimile of modern life in a big, beautiful city and driving some of the latest and greatest, reaches much more people in terms of appeal.

 

They're not going to sabotage their business case, to limit it to what some of you want and then keep that as their sole setting until their next title (ie GTA VII), which would likely be 8-10+ years from now at earliest.

 

It might have worked back in the day, because they were popping out new titles like peanuts nearly every year to keep the franchise fresh and having variety was viable, but today not so much where they are significantly spaced out in releases and only in-game updates pass the time...

 

This niche desire for an 80s-only setting, only works in some respects and fails in so many others. There are only so many ways you can credibly portray the past, without it becoming too farfetched or a tasteless anachronism (adding fake newer elements or props to a story of yesterday).

 

Even GTA San Andreas had many anachronisms in it, that it was difficult at times to suspend my disbelief. These typical production gaffes would be way more glaring in a UHD/4K setting and harder to swallow.

 

I know I will be right by the summer of 2022, when all the details will be clear and such expectations are unmet.

Edited February 15, 2021 by CM1

[RisingStar]

2 hours ago, CM1 said:

They can decide that on whim today and watch it flop in their faces for various reasons. But in general, they are not going to take such a risk, as they favor broad appeal and not niche appeal, by limiting their story to such a period.

 

RDR 2 is nowhere near as successful as GTA V, despite being written better and better interface, because not everyone cares for the old tyme setting outside of the players in the Western Hemisphere (well, aside from GTA being more established).

 

The ability to play in a open sandbox setting, a facsimile of modern life in a big, beautiful city and driving some of the latest and greatest, reaches much more people in terms of appeal.

 

They're not going to sabotage their business case, to limit it to what some of you want and keep then that as their sole setting until their next title (ie GTA VII), which would likely be 8-10+ years from now at earliest.

 

It might have worked back in the day, becaus they were popping out new titles like peanuts nearly every year to keep the franchise fresh, but today not so much were they are significantly spaced out and only in-game updates pass the time...

 

This niche desire for an 80s-only setting, only works in some respects and fails in so many others. There are only so many ways you can credibly portray the past, without it becoming too farfetched or a tasteless anachronism (adding fake newer elements or props to a story of yesterday).

 

Even GTA San Andreas had many anachronisms in it, that it was difficult at times to suspend my disbelief. These typical production gaffes would be way more glaring in a UHD/4K setting and harder to swallow.

 

I know I will be right by the summer of 2022, when all the details will be clear and such expectations are unmet.

This is full of sh*t. An '80s setting wouldn't "limit" the appeal of GTA at all, and you using RDR2 is laughable.

[CM1]

47 minutes ago, RisingStar said:

This is full of sh*t. An '80s setting wouldn't "limit" the appeal of GTA at all, and you using RDR2 is laughable.

That's your own ridiculous opinion just the same and not fact in the least. We will see how that goes, because I know they won't even take that risk and alienate many people. A little, brief visit to the 80s may or may not happen, but a whole game? You can forget it.

[RisingStar]

Just now, CM1 said:

That's your own ridiculous opinion just the same and not fact in the least. We will see how that goes, because I know they won't even take that risk and alienate many people. A little, brief visit to the 80s may or may not happen, but a whole game? You can forget it.

How exactly would an '80s game "alienate people" like you say? I don't know if you've noticed, but '80s nostalgia is pretty high by now.

[CM1]

1 hour ago, RisingStar said:

How exactly would an '80s game "alienate people" like you say? I don't know if you've noticed, but '80s nostalgia is pretty high by now.

80s nostalgia was a bigger thing in the 2000s and early 2010s in general. Just as the 70s in the 90s and early 2000s. 90s and early 2000s nostalgia is what dominates right now.

 

As someone that works in product planning and understands marketing to a great deal, I see the holes in it for 2023 title, on a global level, versus just the Americas.

 

They know their formula, as I do my own product I work with. Would remaking one of our past products inch-by-inch sell better than investing in a well defined, modern iteration such as the new Ford Bronco? Luckily unlike automobiles, game developers have less regulation headaches.

 

I favor them offering both time periods (Part 1 of 2 or Part 1 of 3), as 1989 Miami seems like a fun idea, but I wouldn't want it as my only choice for 5-10 years.

 

Many people in other parts of the (developing) world might not even care for it at all, especially if they are not die hard fans of the franchise and wouldn't be will forgo paying crucial bills/money to save up for the game this time around, if it's just some throwback to old times in UHD and a big map.

 

I get very different results when I speak to a lot of people playing GTA V in developing parts of the world and compare certain titles, that would lean in that direction. V is bigger than the GTA faithful.

 

For the person that hates the non-modern aspect, I'll say 1989 is not really that jarring because:

 

Gameplay could be like moving up from using a payphone to a new Motorola MicroTAC 9800x equivalent and/or car phone, while driving around in a new Benz 500SL/Feltzer or 964-style 911 (new in 1989) as Pfister Comet. As well as Huntley (RR Classic), Oracle (E32 750iL), or Torero.

 

Then in the condo or waterfront house, whip out that '89 laptop on Windows 2.11 or Macintosh (interface), instead of a tablet or smartphone. I do understand that not everything has to be centered around (the lack of) modern tech.

 

 

Even online forums/messaging somewhat existed in a small capacity in the whole 1980s via Arpanet, Usenet and CompuServ. Basically having only the latest and the greatest of 1989 wouldn't be too out of place 35ish years later, as 1989 was ground zero for much of what is common today. Someone with lots of power, money and influence (or access to it) could eventually afford those things in a place like Vice City.

 

Even aside from that, I could deal with it, but either RG would cheatingly add stuff from the 90s that didn't even exist yet (anachronisms) as creative license or some younger folks or less understanding mainstream players, wouldn't really bite at the game.

 

It's all about maximizing sales and $$$ in revenue that lead to profit. The next game is going to have a modern setting as the primary, since it's a reliable formula to stick to and guarantee maximum returns after a decade long wait. It's simply a safer bet at this point, than doing this in 2015 or 2016.

 

 

Edited February 15, 2021 by CM1

[RisingStar]

... Okay, you have no idea what you're talking about. Right at that opening sentence saying that '80s nostalgia isn't a thing now just totally destroys your argument.

 

I mean, you are aware of Stranger Things right? Or Cobra Kai? Or Bohemian Rhapsody? Or Glow? Or The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" being the biggest hit song of 2020 that's also a new wave throwback? Or Wolfenstein: Youngblood (as mediocre as the game itself was)? Or Muse's newest album Simulation Theory? Or Atomic Blonde? Or IT: Chapter Two? Or the entire RetroWave scene being dedicated to recreating 1980s music? Or the new Wonder Woman 1984 movie from a couple months ago?

 

All just off the top of my head, and all of these came out very recently. Your idea that '80s nostalgia was an aughts and early '10s thing that died out is so hilariously wrong, that I wonder if you live in an echo chamber because I don't know how you can come to that conclusion on your own.

 

And why are you even here telling people all this, anyways? Other than to be a dick, of course. The point of this topic is for people to discuss the prospects of an 1980s-set GTA VI, a very real possibility (not 100% guaranteed, just in case you try to pull that, but certainly possible). You coming in here and trashing the 1980s and us for being "unrealistic" (which we're not, considering all the leaks, rumors and words from the higher ups supporting it) adds nothing and make you look like a troll.

 

Why don't you just go somewhere else and discuss the prospects of a modern GTA VI with people?

Edited February 15, 2021 by RisingStar

[Leather Rebel]

 

6 hours ago, CM1 said:

I understand the point of this thread, but this whole being set in the 1980s thing doesn't make sense to me as the core story in a next generation title called GTA VI. Maybe as an offshoot GTA title like Vice City itself was to III or as a brief time period visited, like 2004 was in North Yankton.

 

Core series, numerically titled GTA games are rarely timepieces and are typically set in contemporary time, no ifs and buts.

 

Only 1999's retro future GTA 2, was set in 2013 (a joke in itself honestly) a la Cyberpunk 2077.

 

* GTA 1 was set in the mid-90s in reality (created 1995-97). It wasn't throwback.

 

* GTA III was set in 2001 (created 2000-01), not the 90s, 80s, or 70s. And released in 2001.

 

* GTA IV was set in 2008 (originally 2007), even if some dated elements were more 2005-06 than 2008 due to development work from 2004-05.

 

The following 2 episode packs might've been 2008-2009 settings and didn't go to the past, like in the 3D era spinoffs.

 

* GTA V was set in 2013 (originally 2012; created 2010-13)

 

GTA Online is a great big mess in that area, now chock full of anachronisms (initially predated Story Mode)

 

* GTA London 1961 and 1969 were episodic packs, timepieces. They weren't GTA 2.

 

* GTA Vice City was set in 1986 and never the truly "next" GTA. It was simply a timepiece, spinoff of GTA III like 1961 and 1969 London were to GTA 1.

 

* GTA San Andreas was set in months of early-mid 1992. It wasn't the "GTA Next" either, it was another offshoot, albeit a major one in terms of scope.

 

* GTA Vice City Stories and Liberty City Stories were not contemporary 2005-06, they were offshoots of III still and based in 1984 and 1998. Not yet IV.

 

IV was the actual next title, which closed the chapter on everything released between 2001 and 2006 and moved...FORWARD! Not back into the past.

 

 

A lot of the people who continually criticize the idea of a modern Vice City and call it boring, seem to forget that VC itself as a 2002 game, wasn't called GTA IV for a reason. It was merely a timepiece.

 

You're not gonna get timepieces as core titles.

 

It's random I mention this, but I state this as a criticism of those that forget how RG works and think a whole game called GTA VI dedicated to a 70s, 1980s, or 90s VC makes sense. It doesn't.

 

If they wanted to do a spinoff title solely based in 1979 or 1989 called GTA Casa Grande, based on VI (like TBOGBT vs IV), that's more understandable. But with the reality of Online, it seems unlikely.

 

Ultimately, you really shouldn't be expecting a past setting like that, simply because of nostalgia for Miami Vice or GTA VC's 80s theme. If based on Miami and called Vice City, it will be plainly set in the early 2020s or at worst, 2024.

 

This thread should solely be about about a limited portion of the game dedicated to the past and not a whole game in any aspect.

 

I'm not really here for rehashing 1980s Vice City in UHD, as they didn't set V in 1994-95 LA nor did they set IV in 20th Century NYC, so expecting that now is disingenuous.

 

At best 1/4th or 1/3rd of story mode would be dedicated to such a thing and no more than that. It's purely a pipe dream, to expect otherwise.

 

I don't get why people think numeral GTA titles has to be set  modern times or whenever the game comes out,GTA SA was originally GTA 4:Sin City and it supposed to take place in 70's,yes 70's according to various sources.80's is a strong period to have its own game and so is 70's and 90's,it's really up to Rockstar's approach to game design,most players of GTA IV or GTA V doesn't like phone calls or soundtrack of the game compared to VC or SA for example,it's all about alternatives but i think both 80's or 2020's work well.

[Patrizio]

@CM1 excellent posts but I remember the days when "numbered titles only come with a console generation". Enter GTA V. "Rockstar will not call it Red Dead Redemption 2 as RDR is already the second one..." and they did. Just realised @Len Lfc already said this.

 

If there were any rules, there aren't any more. Plus with such few games in a decade, it's difficult to suggest any sort of pattern as Damien does with his "11 years" comment.

 

Vice City and San Andreas offshoots? My my. They are the games that made GTA. Not III, not IV and definitely not V.

 

I suppose then by your argument we are doomed to have modern titles forever (well, however long GTA has left - two games?). BTW, many of us think a modern, social media, cyber crime world to be niche and boring as sin. Three modern settings in a row is exhausting. Why should Rockstar bow down to Gen Z? They didn't previously - THEY set the tone. Some of these younger fans fail to realise that the older generation didn't expect to love 80s, 90s and Old West settings as much as we did. We allowed Rockstar to do this for us. Sadly the kids of today will ensure its modern GTAs, modern FPS ad nauseum.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Patrizio

[RisingStar]

Anyways, getting back on topic, what type of radio stations should the game have? I mean, I don't think they should copy/paste the stations from VC whole cloth and I don't they think would.

 

Here's what I came up with:

• Pulse 92.5 - New Wave, Post-Punk, Synthpop, Gothic Rock, Neue Deutsche Welle
• Sunset 93.5 - Pop Music, Dance-Pop, Pop Rock, Power Pop
• WROC - Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Thrash Metal, Glam Metal, NWOBHM
• Anarchy Pirate Radio - Punk Rock, Hardcore Punk, Underground
• Rosa 99.8 - Latin Music, Pop, Rock, Soul
• Timeless Tunes - 1950s/1960s Oldies, Rock n Roll, Rockabilly, Country Rock
• The Groove 101 - R&B, Funk, Disco, Post-Disco, Groove
• The Wolf - Country, Bluegrass, Outlaw Country, Honky-Tonk, Western Swing
• Radio UndaGround - Hip-Hop, East Coast Hip-Hop, Electro, Miami Bass, Breakbeat
• Vice City Rock Radio - Rock Music, Classic Rock, AOR, Blues Rock, Progressive Rock
• Pure NRG - Italo Disco, House, Dance Music, Eurodance, Electronica
• Blue Moon 98.3 - Jazz, Cool Jazz, Afro-Cuban Jazz, Latin Jazz, Free Jazz, Bebop, Big Band
• Lions 97.7 - Reggae, Ska, Calypso, Rocksteady

[Patrizio]

 @RisingStar I want this to feature - genuinely! The one good thing to come out of Gonnae.

[DarkDayz]

1 hour ago, Patrizio said:

Vice City and San Andreas offshoots? My my.

 

[Zello]

 

Show up to a drug lords house and he's playing this...oof.

[Schwartzxz]

2 hours ago, Patrizio said:

Some of these younger fans fail to realise that the older generation didn't expect to love 80s, 90s and Old West settings as much as we did. We allowed Rockstar to do this for us.

true. I dont remember anybody ever bitching about Vice City or San Andres being set in the past and not modern day. we were all amazed at how awesome those games were. the fact that it was set in the past made it even better. 

[Patrizio]

1 hour ago, Schwartzxz said:

true. I dont remember anybody ever bitching about Vice City or San Andres being set in the past and not modern day. we were all amazed at how awesome those games were. the fact that it was set in the past made it even better. 

 

Well said. A past setting allows far more depth and exploration. Modern fans see past as limitation. To me its far from it. It introduces a new generation to great stories. Modern doesn't introduce as you're living in it. If you know what I mean.

[EGA_6]

It's really just common sense. Do you really think that a fan of the series, after a decade of waiting, will not buy GTA VI if it ends up being set in the 1980s? Even the casual ones, who most probably just play online, will definitely buy the game. This is not COD, where the casual fan or even the die hard fan will just say "oh I'll pass on this one and wait for the next release". This simply will not happen with GTA VI because everyone knows there will be at least another decade of a wait for GTA VII. Eventually, they will feal the need to buy the game due to the hype and praise. Not only that, but the updates for GTA Online would eventually come to an end and all the DLCs would then come to GTA VI's online. This will easily increase the number of players going to GTA VI (this will be mainly the younger audience). Will they enjoy it as much as the craziness that is the modern day GTA Online? Probably not, but R* can easily add those in an 80s setting for the online and as long as the game can sell, which it will, R* will be a happy business. 

 

Also, to use 1890s and 1980s as an argument that past settings don't sell well is just pure nonsense. You're comparing horses to cars and nothing, literally nothing can be compared with those eras. Hell, the gap between those eras is less than the gap between the 1980s and now. The 1980s and modern day can easily be compared due to the vast amount of similarities. So at the end of the day, it does not matter what era it's set in and it definitely does not matter if it's in the 80s. It will eventually sell well. 

Edited February 15, 2021 by EliteGamer_6

[MrBreak16]

Honestly I wonder how Vice City would be like in the 1990s

[DarkDayz]

9 hours ago, RisingStar said:

... Okay, you have no idea what you're talking about. Right at that opening sentence saying that '80s nostalgia isn't a thing now just totally destroys your argument.

 

I mean, you are aware of Stranger Things right? Or Cobra Kai? Or Bohemian Rhapsody? Or Glow? Or The Weeknd's "Blinding Lights" being the biggest hit song of 2020 that's also a new wave throwback? Or Wolfenstein: Youngblood (as mediocre as the game itself was)? Or Muse's newest album Simulation Theory? Or Atomic Blonde? Or IT: Chapter Two? Or the entire RetroWave scene being dedicated to recreating 1980s music? Or the new Wonder Woman 1984 movie from a couple months ago?

 

All just off the top of my head, and all of these came out very recently. Your idea that '80s nostalgia was an aughts and early '10s thing that died out is so hilariously wrong, that I wonder if you live in an echo chamber because I don't know how you can come to that conclusion on your own.

 

And why are you even here telling people all this, anyways? Other than to be a dick, of course. The point of this topic is for people to discuss the prospects of an 1980s-set GTA VI, a very real possibility (not 100% guaranteed, just in case you try to pull that, but certainly possible). You coming in here and trashing the 1980s and us for being "unrealistic" (which we're not, considering all the leaks, rumors and words from the higher ups supporting it) adds nothing and make you look like a troll.

 

Why don't you just go somewhere else and discuss the prospects of a modern GTA VI with people?

 

Good post. But either way it's completely irrelevant what's 'in' or not. Rockstar are trend setters. Anyone remember how DEAD westerns were until 2010? No? The game inspired many writers, most notably Jonathan Nolan to write Westworld. 

 

If anything, if a genre or era is not 'in' or popular in entertainment right now, that's even more reason to do it.

Edited February 15, 2021 by DarkDayz

[The Tracker]

2 hours ago, MrBreak16 said:

Honestly I wonder how Vice City would be like in the 1990s

It would pretty much be like Bad Boys 

 

 

[Schwartzxz]

9 hours ago, Patrizio said:

 

To me its far from it. It introduces a new generation to great stories. Modern doesn't introduce as you're living in it. If you know what I mean.

if I could somehow travel time I would certanly go in the past and stay there. thats how much I like these modern times lol the world today is just boring to me. I think any decade could be more interesting for a GTA game than the current one. even early 2000s. 

[RisingStar]

58 minutes ago, Schwartzxz said:

if I could somehow travel time I would certanly go in the past and stay there. thats how much I like these modern times lol the world today is just boring to me. I think any decade could be more interesting for a GTA game than the current one. even early 2000s. 

Yeah, I'm with you on that. It's hard to parody modern society, when modern society now feels like a twisted parody of itself. Dan Houser even said as much. I want to go back to a better time.

Edited February 15, 2021 by RisingStar

[Len Lfc]

GTA V is selling 20M units per year, for the past 2 years, with 15M being sold most other years apart from 2018, when it only sold 10M. And we're now in its 8th year, with E&E on its way. Do you really think players will see GTA VI and decide not to buy it because it's set in the past? No, GTA sells itself on its name alone, and the game/gameplay. Time period has nothing to do with it.

 

using RDR as an example doesn't work, as it's not just a different time period, but a completely different era and theme. Weather a GTA is set in modern day, 10's, 00's, 90's or 80's, you still have assault rifles, fast cars, helicopters and jets. In RDR you have horses and cars don't exist. Quite literally apples and oranges. Sure, some kids wouldn't quite get certain things. "Why doesn't my phone have internet" etc. But it doesn't really matter. It's kinda' like what CoD used to be. You have to buy it because all your friends are playing it.

 

Who knows what decade the game will be set in. But it won't have a significant impact on the games sales, at all. It's a tall order to beat GTA V because it's sold 140M units AND COUNTING. If GT AVI sells less, some will deem it a failure. But at a certain point, some things just can't ever be replicated or beaten. Having said that, for VI, Rockstar know what to do from day 1, with GTA Online. Unlike in 2013, when it only just started, it it took them a couple of years to get heists out, and work out what players liked/wanted.

[RisingStar]

Yeah, that, and him trying to paint RDR2 as some kind of failure just for not matching GTA V while still being more successful than 99% of games that get made is absolutely laughable, as is him using that as proof against a 1980s GTA when as you say a GTA would sell itself no matter what.

 

No one is going to go "Nah, I'm gonna pass on the next GTA because it's set in the 1980s." They're going to go "Whoa, new GTA? And it's got cool '80s stuff? Sign me up!".

[Len Lfc]

9 minutes ago, RisingStar said:

No one is going to go "Nah, I'm gonna pass on the next GTA because it's set in the 1980s." They're going to go "Whoa, new GTA? And it's got cool '80s stuff? Sign me up!".

Even if they don't like it, they'll still buy it and play it. "I wish it were modern day, but it's still fun" Like everyone who complained at CoD years ago, but still bought and played it. CoD's sales only dropped because it was an annualized series, and went from being the same game with not many changes, to an unrecognizable game then went a little too crazy.

 

GTA doesn't face those problems. Nor would it be targeted towards people looking for nostalgia. Was Narcos made to be nostalgic? Or was it just made to tell a story that happened to be from the 80's? We all know the answer. If Rockstar want to tell a story, and have gameplay set in a specific time period, they'll just do it. And the vast majority of fans will buy it because it's more GTA, where they get to rampage, steal cars and go crazy.

[RisingStar]

8 minutes ago, Len Lfc said:

Even if they don't like it, they'll still buy it and play it. "I wish it were modern day, but it's still fun" Like everyone who complained at CoD years ago, but still bought and played it. CoD's sales only dropped because it was an annualized series, and went from being the same game with not many changes, to an unrecognizable game then went a little too crazy.

 

GTA doesn't face those problems. Nor would it be targeted towards people looking for nostalgia. Was Narcos made to be nostalgic? Or was it just made to tell a story that happened to be from the 80's? We all know the answer. If Rockstar want to tell a story, and have gameplay set in a specific time period, they'll just do it. And the vast majority of fans will buy it because it's more GTA, where they get to rampage, steal cars and go crazy.

Good point. That reminded me of another thing I'm thinking of: Them going back to the 1980s now would allow them to really explore many facets of '80s culture at the time compared to Vice City. While that game obviously did it well, it's rather simplistic overall on the account of it being almost twenty years ago and for ancient hardware. Just imagine what all they can do with the technology and resources to not only do 1980s Vice City again, but do it even better? That's an exciting prospect.

 

That's before we get into all the vast gameplay improvements a modern game would have due to years of advancement. I really like the idea of a much larger Vice City that also includes other places like a countryside, smaller adjacent cities (perhaps counterparts to Cape Coral and Fort Lauderdale), the Florida Keys, and if all the rumors are true, pastiches of the Dominican Republic and Brazil that you can hopefully travel to freely.

 

Also, imagine how 1980s Vice City would look in 4K, 60FPS?

Edited February 15, 2021 by RisingStar