4 Trillion Won Invested in GTA 6 Development... Rockstar Faces a Test Amid the Departure of Key Staff

As the production cost for the new title 'GTA 6' being developed by game developer Rockstar Games is estimated to be approximately 1 billion dollars (more than 1.3 trillion won), the company is facing the new title amidst a situation where core personnel who built the series' identity have departed in large numbers. According to the video, the market expects the first-year sales of GTA 6 to be at least 2.5 billion dollars or more.

The United States Reconstructed through the 'Eyes of a Stranger', Revenue Structure Expanded via Online

Rockstar Games' content is characterized by reconstructing the image of the United States, which the British production team encountered through media, from a foreigner's perspective. The video explains that this method provides a familiar experience to people worldwide. At the time of its release in 2008, GTA 4 recorded 310 million dollars in first-day sales even amidst the financial crisis, achieving performance that surpassed movies and other blockbuster games.

In the case of GTA 5, unlike its predecessor, it introduced a multi-protagonist system and expanded the production staff to over 1,000 people. In particular, GTA 5 surpassed 1 billion dollars in sales just three days after its release. Rockstar utilized the 'Online' model to extend the game's lifespan. During the production process of GTA 5, they utilized pre-prepared assets and missions to present 'Grand Theft Auto Online' just two weeks after release, which established itself as a space that expands life in a virtual world beyond a simple crime simulator. As a result, the online revenue exceeded the sales revenue of the GTA 5 main game, becoming a core revenue source for Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two Interactive.

Cinematic Direction and Immersion Continued through the Red Dead Redemption Series

Based on the success of GTA, Rockstar expanded the open-world genre to a Western setting through the 'Red Dead Redemption' series. Red Dead Redemption 2 aimed for cinematic entertainment by investing massive resources, such as a main script reaching 2,000 pages, a motion capture period of 2,200 days, and hiring 1,200 actors. The total sales of the series have exceeded 200 million copies.

The video explains that Rockstar focuses on making games not just objects to be played, but spaces where users can stay. This strategy resulted in extending the game's lifespan to over 10 years through online content, even if it slows down the release cycle of new titles. They also adopt a method of increasing completeness by investing 2 to 3 times more than typical AAA games in production costs.

Variables Brought by the Departure of Core Personnel and Structural Changes

Unlike its successful revenue structure, Rockstar Games is currently undergoing major changes in terms of its production team composition. Core personnel who maintained Rockstar's identity in the past had served for at least 10 to 20 years or more, taking responsibility for the continuity of the series. However, the resignation of key members has continued recently. Starting with the departure of Leslie Benzies in 2015, co-founder Dan Houser resigned in 2020 and established a new company. In this process, major personnel such as the lead writing staff also left the company together.

These personnel changes are also linked to the change in Rockstar's development culture. In the process of introducing flexible working hours and replacing managers to improve the development environment, which was known in the past for 'crunch' (intense overtime work), major managers such as existing design directors also left the company. The video notes whether GTA 6, which is being met amidst a severe departure of the existing production team, will be a work that opens a new era for Rockstar, or whether the changed structure will act as a variable.