‘We Were All Positive It Was Going to Fail’: Rockstar Devs Thought GTA Online Would Flop
A former Rockstar Games developer has revealed that the team harbored significant doubts about GTA Online’s prospects before its launch. In an interview, ex-Rockstar developer Matt Freedman disclosed that GTA Online was largely treated as an “afterthought” during its initial development phase. The team’s pessimism was widespread, with Freedman recalling that “everyone thought this thing was going to fail.” QA testers reportedly shared this skepticism, approaching the feature with expectations of disappointing results.
Despite this internal pessimism, GTA Online became one of gaming’s most successful live-service implementations. The feature has played a central role in Grand Theft Auto 5’s sustained commercial success, generating substantial revenue long after the game’s initial launch. The unexpected performance has made GTA Online a benchmark for industry success—investors and publishers now frequently cite it as an aspirational model for their own live-service projects.
Freedom’s comments highlight the unpredictability of online multiplayer integration and the disconnect that can exist between developer expectations and market reception. The story underscores how titles originally viewed internally as supplementary features can transform into flagship revenue drivers that define a game’s legacy.