Developer Rockstar has said that its much-anticipated crime romp Grand Theft Auto V ‘feels’ like a next-generation title, despite the fact it hasn’t been confirmed for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Phil Hooker, associate technical director for Rockstar North, told IGN that the open-world title “surpassed [Rockstar’s] own expectations,” with a number of major enhancements injected into the gameplay and visuals in comparison to its predecessor, 2008’s GTA IV.
"When we started we knew the scope of GTA 5 was huge and incredibly ambitious," commented Hooker. "Fortunately from completing GTA 4 we had a team that was already very familiar with the hardware.
"Every aspect of the game had to be better, richer in gameplay and more fluid and knowing we were launching on the same platforms meant we could focus on extracting the most out of those consoles and making the game as fantastic as possible."
Written by – Mike Harradence
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"In the end we surpassed our own expectations and during development I think everyone working on the game has been astounded by improvements to the graphics, or new mechanics, or AI, or mission scope along the way.
He added: “Hopefully the gamers will see all of these improvements at once in one go, compared to GTA IV this definitely feels ‘next generation’ to us.”
Rockstar hasn’t confirmed plans to release GTA V on PS4 and Xbox One, though hasn’t entirely ruled out the possibility of doing so.
GTA V is due out on PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 17, while its multiplayer companion, Grand Theft Auto Online, goes live in early October.
How do you feel about GTA V’s technical accomplishments? Do you think the game has a hint of next-gen about it? Let us know in the comments section below.