GTA 4’s Remaster Question Raises a Major Issue

Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the rare GTA games that hasn’t gotten a modern port, something that has left plenty of fans frustrated. It’s not uncommon to hear calls for a remaster or a remake of the title, even though that prospect comes with a lot of challenges. It’s just one of the big reasons I don’t think games need remasters as much as they need availability.

A remaster of older titles can even sometimes come with a hefty price tag that could be better spent developing something fresh, something that’s especially clear when looking at the kind of cost a GTAIV remaster would likely have. Especially in an era where developers like Rockstar are pushing the limits of what they can do in gaming, I’d rather see old games get re-released in their original forms and those potentially massive budgets used to make new experiences instead of rehashing old ones.

GTA IV’s Potential Remaster Would Be Expensive

Previous entries in the Grand Theft Auto franchise have been popular subjects for discussion of remasters among gamers. Rockstar has ported plenty of their older titles to newer platforms, even bringing Red Dead Redemption to Netflix. However, one missing entry is GTA 4, which debuted on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2008. Fans have been clamoring for a return adventure with Niko Bellic, or at least a chance to revisit his version of Liberty City. However, according to a former Rockstar developer, it wouldn’t be exactly an easy move. According to a social media post from Obbe Vermeij, “much of the artwork would have to be improved,” including the cut scenes.

From his perspective, just making a remastered version of GTA IV would require a budget comparable to the one used to make the game in the first place. Considering that GTA IV cost in the range of $100 million (in part due to the upgrades needed to the RAGE engine of the game that gave it such detailed reactivity), that would be a huge ask of Rockstar — especially when their focus seems to be entirely rooted in the upcoming GTA 6. Unless Rockstar was confident in simply releasing a copy of the original game for players to download, a remaster to take GTA IV into the modern era would be a time-consuming and costly endeavor that would distract from other new games. That raises an issue that I’ve had with remasters for a while, and why I’d prefer to see fewer of them.

Why I Want New Games Instead Of Remasters

If a remaster of GTA VI would cost as much to make as an entirely new game, it’s frustrating to think of Rockstar revisiting old material instead of simply moving forward with a new game. Especially from a developer like Rockstar, there’s a certain level of quality and craft that goes into each new game. It’s a big part of the inherent appeal and excitement of discovering the full world for yourself. Titles like Grand Theft Auto 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 were so immersive because they were fresh landscapes that you wanted to explore and learn about. Inherently, a remake or a remaster would lose that sense of discovery. Even though GTA VI is returning to Vice City, the setting seems radically different from what audiences experienced the first time they went there on the PlayStation 2.

It was exciting to dive into those worlds and find every nook and cranny, and that’s something a simple remaster couldn’t manage. I’d be more inclined to a remake that actually tried to do something new with the material (like the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy), but even then, it would be less exciting than a new game. The biggest reason to do a remaster or a remake, from a business perspective, is to utilize the established fan base for a property as an initial assured audience. Remasters only feel like something that should come together as a labor of love, a chance to expand on the potential of the original instead of just giving it a shiny new exterior. As gamers, it can be tantalizing to revisit old favorites and find new layers of them you missed the first time around. However, that sense of discovery is also lost if the game gets a glossy remake, and you lose your connection to the history of gaming if all the little unique touches of the era are washed away.

I understand fans who want another excuse to replay Niko’s journey, but I wouldn’t want it to take away from the time and energy that could be going towards making something new. In contrast, I’d like to see more games re-released in their original forms, or at least made available. That way, players could return to old favorites while developers could get away from remastering older titles. GTA IV remains a testament to the creatives who crafted it, but I’d rather see the developer move on to the new titles rather than simply want to revisit the past.