Written by – Richard Archer
In an interview with UK newspaper The Sunday Times, Sam Houser from Rockstar has spoken about the development of GTA V, and how much went into it.
He states "The development process began as soon as GTA IV was complete, and it has come together over those five years. It’s a process that only ever gets more complex. We’ve all seen Hearts of Darkness” Houser says. (The documentary about the production of Francis Ford Coppola’s war film Apocalypse Now.)
"We’re definitely in that realm of excitement and misery at the same time. It’s not supposed to be easy. Each time, we push everything to its limit. I don’t think it’s conscious, but it’s sort of how it has to be. It has to hurt more. You want to find Kurtz every time.”
During the interview film maker Alex Garland is approached for his views on GTA V and he explains
"The narratives are incredibly strong and [Rockstar] completely severed the bond between video games and film, where sometimes you felt games owed something to film. These games felt like they existed in their own space and didn’t owe anything to anybody."
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Finally when asked why there is so long between GTA games Houser adds,
"For Rockstar" he says, “It comes back to something at the root of the whole company, which is that if you’re going to take £40 out of someone’s wallet, that’s a lot of money for a piece of entertainment — and you’ve got to justify that.”
As for the future of GTA and Rockstar,
"Gamers are growing up, though we are still 10-20 years from all people in governance or authority understanding that it’s the same as any other art form and should not be singled out. We’re evolving. These kinds of things don’t happen overnight.”
GTA V is released across multiple platforms on the September 17th, 2013.