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Reece Reilly, AKA Kiwi Talkz, has brought up an unexpected piece of video game history, involving Grand Theft Auto V and the Wii U.
He said this on Twitter the other day:
NateTheHate saying Rockstar tested GTA 6 on Switch 2 doesnt mean anything, Rockstar tested putting GTA V on Wii U and that went nowhere.
Devs test putting games on hardware all the time, don’t take it as confirmation that it is happening.
MercurySteam tested Samus Returns on Switch and that led to nothing, so don’t look for hope where there is none.
We understand Reilly’s point here, of course. While he confirmed that Grand Theft Auto 6 was being considered for the Switch 2, he can’t confirm it’s actually happening.
But this raises such a curious inquiry.
Could Grand Theft Auto V Really Have Come To The Wii U?
Rather than litigate the Wii U’s legacy and impact, we’ll focus on how likely this rumor could have been true.
At the time the Wii U was launched, it did receive several unexpected third-party games. Those developers saw that the console had power comparable to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
So the logic was that they had an opportunity to bring their games to Nintendo’s platform and maybe make their money there. Unfortunately, we know that many of those developers did not come back with their AAA franchises.
Examples of games that came to the Wii U once include Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Mass Effect 2, FIFA 13 and NBA 2K13.
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick categorically denied that they were considering bringing Grand Theft Auto V to the Wii U. As he put it at the time, he was skeptical of the console.
How Would That Have Even Played Out?
If Rockstar did take a risk and brought their game to Nintendo’s console, we think we can predict how events would have played out.
Grand Theft Auto V released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2013, one year after the Wii U launched. It could have been an unexpected but very high-profile launch title for the Wii U.
Subsequently, Grand Theft Auto Online launched two weeks later. And this is where the future is easy to predict.
One year after its initial launch, Grand Theft Auto V came to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
And then, Rockstar ended support for Grand Theft Auto Online on September 2015 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, for technical limitations.
If that Wii U version ever came out and saw some degree of success, it would also immediately be rendered obsolete in two years. With this in mind, perhaps it was best that Rockstar never attempted this venture with Nintendo.
Rockstar’s relationship with Nintendo has clearly improved since then. It’s enough that we seriously ponder if Rockstar will bring Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto 6 to the Switch 2 today.
