It’s rare to hear of Rockstar Games “taking an L.” After all, they’re one of the best video game developers in the world, and they’re not afraid to wait to release games and ensure they are the right quality. Can you seriously think of a title that Rockstar has done in recent years that wasn’t “up to snuff?” Exactly, you likely can’t. However, when it comes to GTA San Andreas VR, the title they teamed up with Meta to make, that game had some big promises, but it wasn’t giving proper updates to fans about when it might be released. Fast forward to now, and we can now say it may never be released.
According to IGN, Meta revealed to them that the game is “on hold indefinitely.” When fans heard about this, they went to Meta’s YouTube page about the game and asked about the title, and the YouTube page responded:
“GTA: San Andreas is on hold indefinitely while we both focus on other projects. We look forward to working with our friends at Rockstar in the future.”
So, this is truly an “L” on both sides, but for different reasons. First, the game adaptation was announced in 2021. That means they’ve been working on it for years and apparently aren’t close to being done in any meaningful way, or it wouldn’t be “on hold indefinitely.” Second, when they did announce it and then talked about it later on, they NEVER showed gameplay of how it would look. If you were trying to remake a classic PlayStation 2 title, and you wanted fans truly invested, why not show how things are going?
Third, focusing on Meta for a bit, this is yet another blow to their attempts to make VR the “future of the world.” If you haven’t heard, the company is truly drowning because of its VR division. They apparently had a sixteen BILLION dollar loss last year, and what games did they release in 2023 that truly made an impact? We can’t think of any, and that’s not likely to change anytime soon.
Finally, while Rockstar Games is mostly fine after this announcement, the “other projects” that they are clearly going to work on in the wake of the GTA San Andreas VR announcement is the next title in the franchise. GTA 6 IS coming, and likely is arriving next year. The hype around that game is large, and it’s growing more anticipated with each passing day, especially since we might get a second trailer soon.
So, while one gaming door closes, another might open soon.
