Rockstar has recently ported many of its classic games to modern consoles, with Red Dead Redemption being among the latest examples. Following this release, most of the studio’s modern titles are playable on the latest consoles, but GTA 4 remains an exception to this rule.
Demand for a GTA 4 re-release has also existed for a while, and Rockstar is likely aware that this is the case. However, it seems a potential re-release for this specific title might be easier said than done. According to a former Rockstar veteran, a GTA 4 remaster would require a significant investment.
Responding to a question regarding a modern port of GTA 4, Obbe Vermeij acknowledged that bringing the game back would require a great deal of effort. For context, the veteran Rockstar developer previously worked on titles like GTA 3, San Andreas, and GTA 4, so he understands the intricacies of these titles all too well.
Obbe Vermeij notes that the game looks dated by today’s standards, so a current-gen iteration of the title would require improvements to the artwork. He also pointed to the cutscenes as an area that would need to be significantly brought up to par with modern standards.
The developer admits that this type of effort would drive up costs for a remaster close to the original development budget. For context, GTA 4 is estimated to have cost around $100 million, a huge figure for a game from around 20 years ago.
GTA 4’s budget also factored in the investment required to upgrade Rockstar’s impressive RAGE engine at the time, which ultimately resulted in the impressive ragdoll physics and detailed reactivity of the entire game.
“It might cost close to the original dev budget to make it competitive in today’s market.” -Obbe Vermeij
Because Rockstar has recently taken an interest in porting legacy titles to modern platforms, a GTA 4 remaster is likely to show up eventually.
However, it will be interesting to see whether the team goes for a complete overhaul like Obbe Vermeij suggests. The veteran developer believes GTA 4 deserves this treatment, and if a remaster is indeed decided upon, it should be done without any compromises.
