Some who have been waiting patiently for the fifth installment of the Grand Theft Auto saga, for years now, were a surprised to learn that it was slated for current generation hardware. Because they believe that the PS3 and Xbox 360 are getting a bit long in the tooth, and therefore assumed that the PS4 and Xbox 720 would be the logical platforms.
Hopefully, those who have seen the latest trailer have been sufficiently convinced that today's consoles are more than up for the task, though Rockstar co-founder and co-creator of the franchise, Dan Houser, has the full-on explanation.
In a recent interview with Famitsu, which was recently republished by Polygon, Houser states that today's hardware is "mature" enough to handle everything that GTA V has to offer:
"Rockstar is a content company, not a hardware company… We use the technology we have to create content, and we try not to let ourselves get beholden to the hardware. The fact that hardware's so mature right now is exactly why we're able to go on to the next level. GTA 4 was our first attempt at a new platform and HD visuals, so the first part of development was seriously difficult. Now we know what the hardware's capable of, so it's become a lot easier to move things along and a lot more fun, too. GTA: San Andreas came out at the peak of the PlayStation 2's cycle, and we put out a really good game thanks to that. All the best games for a console come out at the end of the lifecycle, right? So now's the best timing of all."
There is much wisdom in what Hauser says. Some of the finest games do indeed come out near the end of whatever hardware's life cycle. From Super Mario Bros 3, to Chrono Trigger, to Shadow of the Colossus.
But there's also the manner of profitability. Even if Sony or Microsoft was able to secure GTA V as a pack-in, launch exclusive for their new system (far-fetched, I know) and was paid a very handsome fee, it would still pale in comparison to all the potential copies sold on a platform that has been out there for five plus years and is already in many households.
