Rockstar Games Killed Midnight Club 5 Because It Wasn’t as Big as GTA, Ex-Designer Claims
Rockstar Games cancelled Midnight Club 5 because the franchise wasn’t considered large enough compared to Grand Theft Auto, according to former Rockstar senior designer Kris Roberts. In an interview with Insider Gaming, Roberts revealed that a fifth installment in the arcade racing series was in early development following Midnight Club: Los Angeles but was ultimately abandoned.
Roberts, who worked on the Midnight Club franchise at Rockstar San Diego and contributed to Red Dead Redemption’s multiplayer, shared that the team had already prototyped new locations for the cancelled game, including the city of London. The decision to scrap the project appears to have been driven by Rockstar’s preference to focus resources on franchises with greater commercial appeal.
The Midnight Club series, which launched in 2000 with Midnight Club: Street Racing on PlayStation 2, enjoyed a successful nine-year run as one of Rockstar’s flagship arcade racing properties. The series expanded across four games from 2000 to 2009, each set in different urban environments and featuring street racing gameplay. The franchise developed a dedicated fanbase and received positive reception throughout its lifespan.
With Midnight Club: Los Angeles being the last released title in the series, the cancellation of Midnight Club 5 marked the end of the franchise. Roberts’ comments provide rare insider perspective on the business decision-making that shapes game industry outcomes, showing that even successful game series can be shelved when publishers determine that development resources would be better allocated to larger revenue-generating franchises.