Obbe Vermeij, the legendary technical director who spent 14 years at Rockstar North building Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, San Andreas, and GTA 4, just gave his most revealing interview in years. Speaking exclusively with GamesHub on December 21, 2025, Vermeij dismantled common misconceptions about Rockstar’s work culture, downplayed speculation that GTA 6 will become gaming’s first $100 title, and confirmed that GTA Tokyo with an external Japanese studio almost actually happened before the franchise became too valuable to risk.
The Rockstar North Nobody Talks About
Vermeij pushed back hard against the popular narrative that Rockstar North operated as a brutal crunch factory where developers worked 70-hour weeks year-round. He told GamesHub that people have the wrong impression about what working at Rockstar North was actually like. There was crunch time, but it wasn’t crazy. The company proved very stable with roughly half the developers from his era still working there 18 years after he left in 2009, which doesn’t happen at studios that burn through talent.
The former technical director emphasized that Rockstar North was a good job where the company looked after employees. This contradicts the common perception fueled by reports about other Rockstar studios and the general games industry reputation for exploitative overtime. Vermeij’s experience suggests Rockstar North specifically maintained a healthier culture than many AAA studios, which helps explain why so many people stayed for decades rather than jumping to competitors after shipping massive hits.
Why GTA 6 Won’t Cost $100
Speculation about GTA 6 breaking the $100 price barrier has dominated gaming discourse for months. Vermeij doesn’t buy it. During the GamesHub interview, he downplayed chances that Rockstar would make GTA 6 the industry’s first hundred-dollar game. While he didn’t elaborate extensively on his reasoning, his decades of experience understanding Rockstar’s business strategy and consumer psychology carries significant weight.
The pricing question matters because GTA 6 represents gaming’s most expensive production ever according to Vermeij himself. That massive budget needs to generate returns, but charging $100 could limit the audience and generate backlash that damages long-term franchise value. Rockstar likely recognizes that keeping the base price at $70 while monetizing through GTA Online 2.0 makes more financial sense than risking consumer revolt over triple-digit pricing that would dominate headlines and potentially hurt sales.
GTA Tokyo Almost Happened
The biggest revelation from Vermeij’s interview involves GTA Tokyo, a long-rumored project that fans assumed was just wishful thinking. Vermeij confirmed to GamesHub that it almost actually happened. According to the former technical director, another studio in Japan was set to take Rockstar’s existing codebase and develop a standalone project titled GTA Tokyo. This would have followed the model of external studios creating spin-offs rather than Rockstar North building it themselves.
The Tokyo project never materialized because as the franchise grew into a multi-billion-dollar property, Rockstar became more cautious about moving the series outside familiar American settings. Vermeij explained during the interview that internal discussions at Rockstar North explored various international locations if they wanted to find new settings beyond the USA. Tokyo represented just one possibility among several countries considered, but the risk-reward calculation changed as GTA’s value exploded.
The Magic of GTA 3 Development
Vermeij reminisced about the exciting atmosphere during GTA 3 development when the team was creating something genuinely revolutionary. He told GamesHub that every morning he would come in and there would be something new – somebody had put in a new music track, mission, building, or feature. It was really exciting to see because for the team, Liberty City felt like a living, breathing city coming to life before their eyes.
Most Fridays, Vermeij would take 10 minutes to get all the latest updates and just drive around seeing what the artists had been up to. That sense of discovery and daily progress created infectious energy that carried the team through the massive technical challenges of bringing GTA into 3D. The fact that GTA 3’s success caught even Vermeij by surprise despite his proximity to development shows how uncertain they were whether mainstream audiences would embrace the radical shift from top-down 2D to third-person 3D open world.
The DMA Design to Rockstar North Transition
The transformation from DMA Design to Rockstar North marked a hard break between GTA 2 and GTA 3 with completely different teams. Vermeij explained that only two people worked on both games. Simultaneously, the company set up a satellite studio in Edinburgh and quickly closed the original studio in Dundee. That’s when they became Rockstar North with the GTA team and the Manhunt team establishing the structure that would build the 3D era games.
Vermeij remains friendly with Leslie Benzies, who left Rockstar after GTA 5 and founded Build A Rocket Boy. Their recent game MindsEye completely bombed according to Vermeij, though he noted after playing it that it’s actually quite a good game. The problem was charging too much money and launching too buggy. Vermeij’s assessment suggests that even talented teams with proven track records struggle when business decisions undermine solid game design.
Plentiful: Vermeij’s Return to Game Development
Now working as an independent developer, Vermeij is creating Plentiful, a god game designed to bring the classic genre back to modern audiences after years spent bringing Grand Theft Auto to life. The game represents Vermeij’s effort to recapture what made classic god games special while incorporating modern design sensibilities. He’s developing Plentiful as a solo developer, handling everything himself in a dramatic shift from the massive teams that built GTA.
The GamesHub interview covered Vermeij’s design philosophy behind Plentiful’s creation, though he emphasized the challenges of prototyping to show publishers as an indie developer compared to having Rockstar’s resources. Despite the difficulties, Vermeij told the outlet that he loves making games and misses the Rockstar days while simultaneously enjoying the creative freedom that independent development provides.
The Shift From Gameplay to Story
Vermeij noted during the interview that the GTA series moved away from gameplay-first design toward story-first priorities as the franchise evolved. The earlier 3D trilogy from GTA 3 to San Andreas emphasized fun gameplay mechanics and experimentation. Gang wars in San Andreas proved very difficult to implement but added strategic depth. By GTA 4, the series had become more focused on narrative and characters, which partly explains why Vermeij left after that game.
He previously revealed in other interviews that he thought GTA 4 was too serious and too dark, which contributed to his 2009 departure. The fact that San Andreas had whacky aspects like stealth missions, skydiving, and absurd side activities represented the type of creative freedom that Vermeij preferred. His comments suggest tension between commercial pressures to create prestige narrative experiences versus the chaotic fun that defined earlier entries.
What’s Next for the Industry Veteran
Beyond working on Plentiful, Vermeij also created a museum app called Guide App that lets users explore cultural institutions through their mobile devices. This demonstrates his continued interest in using technology to enhance experiences beyond traditional gaming. The diverse portfolio shows that Vermeij isn’t trying to chase another GTA-sized hit, instead focusing on projects that interest him personally without the pressure of matching his legendary past achievements.
Vermeij’s perspective on GTA 6 remains measured. He told previous interviewers that he doesn’t expect it to be wildly different from GTA 5, and people might be slightly disappointed if there aren’t major innovations. However, he’s confident it will still be the best game out there. That assessment from someone who built the franchise’s foundation carries more weight than typical industry speculation, suggesting fans should temper expectations while remaining excited for what Rockstar delivers.
FAQs
Who is Obbe Vermeij?
Obbe Vermeij was technical director at Rockstar North from 1995 to 2009, working on Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, San Andreas, and GTA 4. He played a crucial role in transitioning GTA from 2D to 3D and building the technical foundation for the series’ most influential entries.
Was Rockstar North a brutal workplace?
According to Vermeij, no. He says people have the wrong impression and the studio wasn’t a 70-hour work week factory. While crunch time existed, it wasn’t crazy, and the company looked after employees well enough that many stayed for decades.
Will GTA 6 cost $100?
Vermeij downplayed chances that GTA 6 will become gaming’s first $100 title in his GamesHub interview. While he didn’t provide extensive reasoning, his experience with Rockstar’s business strategy suggests they won’t risk consumer backlash with triple-digit pricing.
Did GTA Tokyo almost happen?
Yes. Vermeij confirmed to GamesHub that an external Japanese studio almost developed GTA Tokyo using Rockstar’s codebase. The project was abandoned as GTA became more valuable and Rockstar grew cautious about risking the franchise outside American settings.
Why did Obbe Vermeij leave Rockstar?
Vermeij left in 2009 after GTA 4 for multiple reasons including his wife wanting to move back to Canada and his belief that GTA 4 wasn’t as fun as earlier games. He thought the series was getting too dark and serious compared to the playful tone of the 3D trilogy.
What is Plentiful?
Plentiful is Vermeij’s indie god game designed to bring the classic genre back to modern audiences. He’s developing it solo, representing a dramatic shift from the massive teams that built GTA. The game is available as a demo on Steam.
Is Obbe Vermeij still friends with former Rockstar colleagues?
Yes. Vermeij remains friendly with Leslie Benzies, who left Rockstar after GTA 5 to found Build A Rocket Boy. However, he notes that Benzies’ recent game MindsEye bombed despite being a solid game, due to pricing and technical issues at launch.
What other locations did Rockstar consider for GTA?
Vermeij revealed that internal discussions explored various international locations beyond the USA. Tokyo was one possibility among several countries considered, but Rockstar became more cautious about moving outside American settings as the franchise’s value grew.
Conclusion
Obbe Vermeij’s candid GamesHub interview provides rare insight into the reality of working at Rockstar North during GTA’s most transformative era. His insistence that the studio wasn’t the crunch factory everyone assumes challenges prevailing narratives about AAA game development, while his confirmation that GTA Tokyo almost happened validates years of fan speculation. The fact that someone who helped build gaming’s biggest franchise now works as a solo indie developer creating god games shows how diverse career paths can become even after legendary success. Vermeij’s measured take on GTA 6 pricing and his reflections on why he left Rockstar paint a picture of a developer who loves making games but values creative fulfillment over chasing another blockbuster. Whether discussing the magic of watching GTA 3’s Liberty City come to life or explaining why the series shifted from gameplay-first to story-first design, Vermeij offers perspective that only someone who lived through GTA’s evolution can provide. His legacy remains cemented in gaming history, but his current work on Plentiful proves that building worlds, whether massive open cities or strategic god games, is what drives him regardless of team size or budget.