A new leak suggests that GTA Online is a project from 2001


Rockstar Games launched GTA Online in October 2013 as a multiplayer mode for Grand Theft Auto 5. Today, it's one of the company's most successful ventures, but a recent leak suggests it may have originally been a project from 2001 Design documents for some Grand Theft Auto titles were apparently leaked online on December 25, 2024, and plans for a multiplayer mode for Grand Theft Auto 3 they were mentioned.

According to user X @videotechuk_, who is an active member of the GTA community on the platform, this canceled GTA Online 2001 project allegedly had plans for the integration of features such as character customization, a skills, as well as the possibility of owning properties.


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Obbe Vermeij, former technical director of Rockstar North, also offered a glimpse of X after the new GTA leaks on Christmas Day. He said the project was in the works for a few weeks and that Rockstar Vancouver (formerly Barking Dog Studios) was contacted to explore the design.

Note: Part of this article is based on a leak. Readers are advised to take the information here with a grain of salt.

Ex-Rockstar Games Developer Talks Leaked GTA Online 2001 Project

Obbe Vermeij revealed that he had written a basic deathmatch implementation for Grand Theft Auto 3's canceled multiplayer mode. He also revealed that players could earn points by killing each other.

The tweet also mentioned that Barking Dog Studios were asked to explore the design of Grand Theft Auto Online 2001. While that project was eventually abandoned, Barking Dog Studios released Bully as Rockstar Vancouver in 2006, which is a beloved title among fans of Rockstar Games.

It's worth noting that Obbe Vermeij has talked about Grand Theft Auto 3's canceled multiplayer before the recent GTA documents leak too

In that tweet, Rockstar's former CTO mentioned that while Grand Theft Auto 3's planned multiplayer core gameplay was in the works, “there was just too much to do” and it ended up being canceled. He then stated that they tried to work on multiplayer for Grand Theft Auto Vice City after that, but failed again and “settled for the Coop mode” in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas.

The franchise's first proper online multiplayer experience was introduced with 2008's Grand Theft Auto 4 and then expanded greatly in GTA 5 with its online multiplayer. In fact, it continues to receive fresh content to this day, the latest example of which as of this writing is the Agent of Sabotage update.

Also check: GTA Online Weekly Update Continues (December 26, 2024 to January 1, 2025)