Rockstar Games nearly developed a Grand Theft Auto title set in Tokyo through a Japanese studio partnership, according to former technical director Obbe Vermeij. The project reached advanced planning stages before cancellation due to financial risks and cultural familiarity concerns.
"We had ideas about GTA games in Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Istanbul," Vermeij told GamesHub. "Tokyo almost actually happened. Another studio in Japan were going to do it, take our code and do GTA: Tokyo. But then that didn't happen in the end."
The Tokyo project would have marked the series' first major departure from American settings since the 1997 London expansion for Grand Theft Auto 1. Rockstar considered multiple international locations during the PlayStation 2 era when developing GTA 3, Vice City, and San Andreas.
Financial considerations ultimately blocked the international expansion. "People love having these wild ideas," Vermeij explained, "but then when you've got billions of dollars riding on it it's too easy to go let's do what we know again." American cities provide cultural recognition that international locations lack, he noted.
The former director believes Rockstar will continue rotating between five established American cities: New York (Liberty City), Los Angeles (Los Santos), Miami (Vice City), San Francisco (San Fierro), and potentially Las Vegas (Las Venturas). "GTA: Toronto? It just wouldn't work," Vermeij stated.
This revelation comes as Grand Theft Auto 6 prepares for its November 2026 launch, returning players to Vice City with dual protagonists Lucia Caminos and Jason Duval. The game marks the series' first playable female lead after more than two decades of development.
Industry analysts predict GTA 6 will maintain standard $70 pricing despite potentially becoming the most expensive game ever developed. Former Rockstar animator Mike York told Esports Insider the base edition will likely avoid the speculated $100 price point to maximize player adoption for the online component.
Vermeij estimates artists account for 70% of game development costs, suggesting AI could reduce future expenses. However, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick has dismissed AI's ability to create genuine GTA competitors, emphasizing "human genius" remains essential for successful game development.
The Tokyo revelation underscores Rockstar's conservative approach to franchise evolution as development cycles extend. "If games still took a year to make then yeah, sure, you can have a little fun," Vermeij said, "but you're not going to get that when there's a GTA every 12 years."
Grand Theft Auto 6 launches November 19, 2026 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, continuing the series' American focus while leaving international expansions like Tokyo as historical footnotes.
