GTA 4 had some of the best single player focused expansions released as DLC that any game has ever gotten- arguably, the expansions were better than the main game itself. But when GTA5 came about, Rockstar never released any single player content for it. Instead, all focus shifted to GTA Online, and content and post launch support consisted of updates only for that mode.
This, coupled with the focus on the online component of Red Dead Redemption 2, back when it was announced, led many to fear the worst- that, like Valve before it, Rockstar, too, would slowly transition away from the kind of quality single player experiences they are known for, and slowly move to multiplayer games instead.
However, speaking to Game Informer, Rockstar director of design Imran Sarwar explained why GTA5 never actually got single player DLC, confirming that it was a victim of circumstance, and also reaffirming Rockstar’s commitment to single player experiences.
“No, it was not really a conscious decision, it’s just what happened,” Sarwar said. “With GTA5 the single-player game was absolutely massive and very, very complete. It was three games in one. The next-gen versions took a year of everyone’s time to get right, then the online component had a lot of potential but to come close to realizing that potential, also sucked up a lot of resources. And then there are other games – in particular Red Dead Redemption 2. The combination of these three factors means for this game, we did not feel single-player expansions were either possible or necessary.”
“We would love to do more single-player add-ons for games in the future,” Sarwar added. “As a company, we love single-player more than anything, and believe in it absolutely – for storytelling and a sense of immersion in a world, multiplayer games don’t rival single-player games.”
So, there you have it- Rockstar claims it is still committed to quality quality single player experiences. Now to see if it means it. Red Dead Redemption 2 launches on the PS4 and Xbox One next year.
