''Grand Theft Auto III'' is a 2001
action-adventure game developed by
DMA Design
Rockstar North Limited (formerly DMA Design Limited) is a British video game development company and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Edinburgh. The company was founded as DMA Design in Dundee in 1987 by David Jones, soon hiring former cla ...
and published by
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...
. It is the third main entry in the ''
Grand Theft Auto
''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily d ...
'' series, following 1999's ''
Grand Theft Auto 2
''Grand Theft Auto 2'' is an action-adventure game, developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games in October 1999, for Microsoft Windows and the PlayStation, and the Dreamcast and Game Boy Color in 2000. It is the sequel to 1997's ' ...
'', and the fifth instalment overall. Set within the fictional Liberty City (loosely based on
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
), the story follows Claude, a
silent protagonist who, after being betrayed and left for dead by his girlfriend during a robbery, embarks on a quest for revenge that leads him to become entangled in a world of crime, drugs, gang warfare, and corruption. The game is played from a
third-person perspective
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...
and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Its
open world design lets players
freely roam Liberty City, consisting of three main areas.
Development was shared between DMA Design, based in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, and Rockstar, based in New York City. Much of the development involved transforming popular elements from the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series into a fully 3D world for the first time. The game was delayed following the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commer ...
to allow the team to change references and gameplay deemed inappropriate. It was released in October 2001 for the
PlayStation 2, in May 2002 for
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...
, and in October 2003 for the
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
.
''Grand Theft Auto III'' received critical acclaim, with particular praise directed at its concept and gameplay. However, it also generated controversy, with criticism directed at its depictions of violence and sex. It became the
best-selling video game
This is a list of video games that have sold the highest number of software units worldwide. The best-selling video game to date is ''Minecraft'', a sandbox game released by Mojang in May 2009 for a wide range of PC, mobile and console plat ...
of 2001, and sold over 14.5 million copies by March 2008. Considered by many critics as one of the most significant titles of the
sixth generation of video games and a landmark game in the open world concept, it is often listed among the
greatest video games
This is a list of video games that multiple reputable video game journalists or magazines have considered to be among the best of all time. The games listed here are included on at least six separate "best/greatest of all time" lists from differ ...
. It won several year-end accolades, including
Game of the Year
Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given by various award events and media publications to a video game that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year.
Events and ceremonies
British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards)
...
awards from several
gaming publications
Video game journalism is a branch of journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of video games, typically based on a core "reveal–preview–review" cycle. With the prevalence and rise of independent media online, online publicati ...
. Since its release, it has received
ports
A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as H ...
to many different gaming platforms. An enhanced version of the game was released on
mobile platforms
A mobile operating system is an operating system for mobile phones, tablet computer, tablets, smartwatches, smartglasses, or other non-laptop personal computing, personal mobile computing devices. While computers such as typical laptops are "mobi ...
in 2011 for the game's tenth anniversary, and a
further enhanced version for the twentieth anniversary was released in 2021. The game was followed by 2002's ''
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City'', while two
prequels, ''
Grand Theft Auto Advance
''Grand Theft Auto Advance'' (also marketed as ''Grand Theft Auto'') is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Rockstar Games. The eighth instalment in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, it was released for the ...
'' and ''
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories'', were released in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
Gameplay
''Grand Theft Auto III'' is an
action-adventure game played from a
third-person perspective
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...
. Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story.
It is possible to have several missions available at a time, as some missions require players to wait for further instructions or events.
Outside of missions, players can
freely roam the game's
open world, and have the ability to complete optional side missions. Liberty City is composed of three boroughs: Portland, Staunton Island, and Shoreside Vale; the latter two areas become unlocked as the player progresses through the storyline.
Players may run, jump or use vehicles to navigate the game's world.
In combat,
auto-aim
This list includes terms used in video games and the video game industry, as well as slang used by players.
0–9
A
...
can be used as assistance against enemies.
Should players take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated through the use of health pick-ups.
Body armour
Body armor, also known as body armour, personal armor or armour, or a suit or coat of armor, is protective clothing designed to absorb or deflect physical attacks. Historically used to protect military personnel, today it is also used by variou ...
can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage, but is used up in the process. When health is entirely depleted, gameplay stops and players
respawn
In video games, spawning is the live creation of a character, item or NPC. Respawning is the recreation of an entity after its death or destruction, perhaps after losing one of its lives. Despawning is the deletion of an entity from the game ...
at the nearest hospital, at the expense of losing armour, weapons, and an amount of money.
If players commit crimes while playing, the game's law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "
wanted" meter in the
head-up display
A head-up display, or heads-up display, also known as a HUD (), is any transparent display that presents data without requiring users to look away from their usual viewpoints. The origin of the name stems from a pilot being able to view informa ...
(HUD). On the meter, the displayed stars indicate the current wanted level
(for example, at the maximum six-star level, efforts by law enforcement to incapacitate players become very aggressive). Law enforcement officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The wanted meter enters a
cooldown
Cooling down (also known as limbering down or warming down) is an important transition, done after intense activity, to allow the body to gradually return to resting or near-resting state. Depending on the intensity of the exercise, cooling down a ...
mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight.
The game lets players control the
mute
Muteness is a speech disorder in which a person lacks the ability to speak.
Mute or the Mute may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* ''Mute'' (2005 film), a short film by Melissa Joan Hart
* ''Mute'' (2018 film), a scien ...
criminal Claude.
During the story, Claude meets various new characters from gangs. As players complete missions for different gangs and criminal organisations, fellow gang members will often defend players, while rival gang members will recognise players and subsequently shoot on sight.
While free roaming the game world, players may engage in activities such as a
vigilante
Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority.
A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...
minigame, a
fire fighting
Firefighting is the act of extinguishing or preventing the spread of unwanted fires from threatening human lives and destroying property and the environment. A person who engages in firefighting is known as a firefighter.
Firefighters typicall ...
activity, a paramedic service and a
taxi cab
A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...
service.
Completion of these activities grants players with context-specific rewards; for example, completing the vigilante mission allows players to
bribe
Bribery is the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With regard to governmental operations, essentially, bribery is "Corru ...
police after committing a crime.
Players use
melee
A melee ( or , French: mêlée ) or pell-mell is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at abnormally close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation, a melee has been defined as " air battle in which ...
attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies. The firearms include weapons such as the
Micro Uzi
The Uzi (; he, עוזי, Ūzi; officially cased as UZI) is a family of Israeli open-bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns and machine pistols first designed by Major Uziel "Uzi" Gal in the late 1940s, shortly after the establishment of the ...
, an
M16 rifle
The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-ro ...
and a
flamethrower.
The game's three-dimensional environment allows a
first-person view
First-person view (FPV), also known as remote-person view (RPV), or simply video piloting, is a method used to control a radio-controlled vehicle from the driver or pilot's view point. Most commonly it is used to pilot a radio-controlled aircraf ...
while aiming with the
sniper rifle,
rocket launcher and the M16 rifle. In addition, the game's combat was reworked to allow players to commit
drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a type of assault that usually involves the perpetrator(s) firing a weapon from within a motor vehicle and then fleeing. Drive-by shootings allow the perpetrator(s) to quickly strike their target and flee the scene before ...
s by facing sideways in a vehicle.
The game gives players a wide variety of weapon options—they can be purchased from local
firearms dealers, found on the ground, retrieved from dead enemies, or found around the city.
Plot
Small-time criminal Claude is betrayed and shot by his girlfriend Catalina (voiced by Cynthia Farrell) during a bank heist outside Liberty City. Claude is arrested, but escapes during his transfer to prison when members of the
Colombian Cartel
A drug cartel is any criminal organization with the intention of supplying drug trafficking operations. They range from loosely managed agreements among various drug traffickers to formalized commercial enterprises. The term was applied when the ...
ambush his transport to abduct another prisoner. During his escape, Claude befriends explosives expert and fellow convict 8-Ball (
Guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...
), who shelters Claude and introduces him to the Leone
Mafia
"Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
family for work. Claude assists the Mafia with various operations, including winning a gang war against a local group of
Triads, earning him the respect of
Don
Don, don or DON and variants may refer to:
Places
*County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON
*Don (river), a river in European Russia
*Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name
*Don, Benin, a town in Benin
*Don, Dang, a vill ...
Salvatore Leone (
Frank Vincent
Frank Vincent Gattuso Jr. (April 15, 1937 – September 13, 2017) was an American actor. During a five-decade career, Vincent often portrayed mobsters. He was a frequent collaborator of filmmaker Martin Scorsese, appearing as Salvy in ''Raging B ...
). After learning that the Cartel are creating and selling a new street drug called SPANK to fund their expansion into Liberty City, Salvatore orders Claude to destroy their floating drug lab. Claude accomplishes this with 8-Ball's help.
Salvatore later instructs Claude to deal with a minor problem, but his
trophy wife
A trophy wife is a wife who is regarded as a status symbol for the husband. The term is often used in a derogatory or disparaging way, implying that the wife in question has little personal merit besides her physical attractiveness, requires sub ...
Maria (
Debi Mazar
Deborah Anne Mazar Corcos (; born August 13, 1964) is an American actress and television personality, known for playing sharp-tongued women. She began her career with supporting roles in ''Goodfellas'' (1990), '' Little Man Tate'' (1991) and ''S ...
), who took a liking to Claude, reveals it to be a set-up. Maria claims that she lied to Salvatore about having an affair with Claude to make him jealous, and now Salvatore wants to murder him. Claude escapes to Staunton Island with Maria and her friend Asuka Kasen (Lianna Pai). After assassinating Salvatore to cut ties with the Mafia, Claude begins working for the
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of transnational organized crime syndicates originating in Japan. The Japanese police and media, by request of the police, call them , while the ''yakuza'' call themselves . The English equivalent for the ter ...
, led by Asuka and her brother Kenji (Les J.N. Mau). During this time, he also provides assistance to corrupted police inspector Ray Machowski (
Robert Loggia
Salvatore "Robert" Loggia ( , ; January 3, 1930 – December 4, 2015) was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for '' Jagged Edge'' (1985) and won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for ...
), whom he eventually helps flee the city, and influential businessman Donald Love (
Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dale Cooper in '' Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), as well as roles ...
). Donald hires Claude to assassinate Kenji under the guise of a Cartel attack to start a gang war that will allow Donald to obtain construction sites for his businesses. After the job's success, Claude carries out another task for Donald that leads him to encounter Catalina, now the leader of the Cartel, at a construction site. However, Catalina escapes after betraying and shooting her partner, Miguel (Al Espinosa).
Asuka blames the Cartel for Kenji's death and seizes the construction site. The Yakuza capture the wounded Miguel and torture him for information on Cartel operations in the city, allowing Claude to strike against them and hinder the Cartel. Enraged, Catalina murders both Asuka and Miguel and kidnaps Maria, demanding $500,000 for her release. Claude meets with her to pay the ransom, but Catalina deceives him again and traps him. Claude escapes, rescues Maria, and destroys the helicopter Catalina attempts to flee in, killing her. As Claude and Maria leave the scene, the latter begins to complain about the kidnapping, but is silenced by a gunshot.
Development
The core development team of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' consisted of about 23 people at
DMA Design
Rockstar North Limited (formerly DMA Design Limited) is a British video game development company and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Edinburgh. The company was founded as DMA Design in Dundee in 1987 by David Jones, soon hiring former cla ...
in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
, who worked closely with publisher
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...
in New York City.
The original prototype for the game was created on the
Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nint ...
around the end of development on the previous game ''
Grand Theft Auto 2
''Grand Theft Auto 2'' is an action-adventure game, developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games in October 1999, for Microsoft Windows and the PlayStation, and the Dreamcast and Game Boy Color in 2000. It is the sequel to 1997's ' ...
'' (1999), which led to it being
greenlit
To green-light is to give permission to proceed with a project. The term is a reference to the green traffic signal, indicating "go ahead".
Film industry
In the context of the film and television industries, to green-light something is to ...
.
By early 2001, the team had designed the city, cars and some weapons.
An
online multiplayer
A multiplayer video game is a video game in which more than one person can play in the same game environment at the same time, either locally on the same computing system ( couch co-op), on different computing systems via a local area network, or ...
mode was initially planned for the game, but was ultimately dropped due to time and resource limitations. Producer
Leslie Benzies
Leslie Peter Benzies (born 17 January 1971) is a Scottish video game producer and the former president of Rockstar North, a subsidiary of Rockstar Games. He was the lead developer on the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, taking responsibility from ...
described ''Grand Theft Auto III'' as a "crime simulation game".
Rockstar originally offered it to
Microsoft Game Studios as an
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
exclusive, but Microsoft declined due to the game's adult nature and its poorly-performing predecessors.
The game was released for the
PlayStation 2 on 23 October 2001 in North America.
When porting the game to
Windows
Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...
, the team delayed it from the PlayStation 2 release in order to ensure quality, citing issues with the simultaneous platform release of previous games in the series.
Capcom published the game in Japan in September 2003.
Open-world design
''Grand Theft Auto III'' is considered to be the first 3D game in the series, using
Criterion Games
Criterion Games is a British video game developer based in Guildford. Founded in January 1996 as a division of Criterion Software, it was owned by Canon Inc. until Criterion Software was sold to Electronic Arts in October 2004. Many of Crit ...
'
RenderWare
RenderWare is a video game engine developed by British game developer Criterion Software.
Overview
Released in 1993, RenderWare is a 3D computer graphics, 3D Application programming interface, API and graphics rendering Game engine#Game middlewa ...
game engine.
Executive producer
Sam Houser
Sam Houser (born 1971) is a British video game producer. He is the co-founder and president of Rockstar Games and one of the creative driving forces behind the games in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' franchise, being producer since the third game.
...
had always wanted the series to move to 3D; the development team of ''Grand Theft Auto 2'' had performed some similar tests,
and DMA Design had experimented with 3D worlds with games like ''
Body Harvest
''Body Harvest'' is an action-adventure video game for the Nintendo 64 video game console, developed by DMA Design. It was intended to be a Nintendo 64 launch title, but was delayed due to its original publisher, Nintendo, having issues with th ...
'' and ''
Space Station Silicon Valley
''Space Station Silicon Valley'' is a platform video game developed by DMA Design and published by Take-Two Interactive. It was originally released for the Nintendo 64 in October 1998. An adaption of the game for Game Boy Color was developed by ...
'' (both 1998).
With the release of the PlayStation 2, the team felt that a large 3D world was possible.
Art director Aaron Garbut felt that other video games at the time "were a thing you played", wanting ''Grand Theft Auto III'' to be "a place you lived in".
When designing the game, the development team expanded upon concepts introduced in the previous ''
Grand Theft Auto
''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily d ...
'' games. Benzies stated that the intention was to recreate the "freedom and diversity" of the previous games in a "living, breathing 3D world", using the power of the PlayStation 2 to do so.
The console's ability to use
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
s, an improvement over the
PlayStation's limit to
CDs, allowed the team to store more data, such as animations, music and environments. Despite this, the team found it difficult to fit the game into the PlayStation 2's 32 megabytes of
RAM
Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to:
Animals
* A male sheep
* Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish
People
* Ram (given name)
* Ram (surname)
* Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director
* RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch
* ...
, due to the scale. The game's size also created difficulties for the testers, due to the variety of options.
Benzies felt that creating a living city was the "underlying principle" of the game's concept during development.
Sam Houser felt that the game's 3D element allowed the "chemistry of the team
o cometogether perfectly for the first time".
A major difficulty the team encountered was converting all game elements into a fully 3D world, including the sound and radio stations, as well as designing and voicing the non-player characters, due to the amount that existed within the open world.
Producer
Dan Houser
Daniel Houser (born November 1973) is an English video game producer, writer, and voice actor, as well as the co-founder (along with his brother Sam) and former vice president of creativity for Rockstar Games. As well as producing video games, ...
said there were about 8,000 lines of recorded dialogue in the game,
while audio programmer Raymond Usher estimated about 18,000.
The basic technical elements of the game began to work together in mid-2000, with a carjacking mechanic prototype and stable
streaming model.
Streaming was initially intended to be reserved for music and map geometry, but other elements were eventually included when it became apparent to the team as more data was entered.
When designing the game world, the team initially created a "hybrid city", which Dan Houser described as "a post industrial
Midwest slash
east coast generic" city.
Upon developing within this game world, the team realised that basing the design on a real location meant "you have a lot of things you can say about it".
As a result, they redesigned Liberty City, which had been previously featured in the first ''
Grand Theft Auto
''Grand Theft Auto'' (''GTA'') is a series of action-adventure games created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily d ...
'' (1997), basing it loosely on New York City.
DMA Design worked with a team at Rockstar in New York for cultural references; the Rockstar team would regularly work long hours for full weeks, ensuring that the references, such as in-game car manufacturers, were appropriate to the city.
The city is broken into three islands: an industrial section representing
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
and
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
, a commercial centre resembling
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, and suburbs similar to
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. The islands unlock as the story progresses; the team wanted players to "start out feeling poor and work to being richer".
Dan Houser described Liberty City as a "hybrid of a generic American city", including
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
,
Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
,
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
, New York, and
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
;
he felt that the parallel realism of the world allowed the team to make more social commentary than previously. Sam Houser cited films and shows like ''
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is ...
'' (1995) and ''
The Sopranos
''The Sopranos'' is an American crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster, portraying his difficulties as he tries to balance ...
'' (1999–2007) as inspiration for the setting, and wanted to emulate them in the game. He also cited the influence of ''
The Legend of Zelda
''The Legend of Zelda'' is an action-adventure game franchise created by the Japanese game designers Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. It is primarily developed and published by Nintendo, although some portable installments and re-rele ...
'', ''
Super Mario 64'' and the 1990 film ''
Goodfellas
''Goodfellas'' (stylized ''GoodFellas'') is a 1990 American biographical crime film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Nicholas Pileggi and Scorsese, and produced by Irwin Winkler. It is a film adaptation of the 1985 nonfiction book '' W ...
'', describing ''Grand Theft Auto III'' as "a cross between a gangster movie and an RPG".
Story and characters
The team developed the story and design simultaneously. Dan Houser said, "we use the story to expose the mechanics, and we use the mechanics to tell the story";
however, he found it difficult to create the narrative, as the game is so strongly focused on player freedom. He wanted the story to be more nuanced and interesting than the generic "rise and fall and rise again of a superhero bad guy".
The game's script was also focused on mission objectives, attempting to implement high amounts of interactivity.
Dan Houser felt that each mission is "its own short story", and part of an "overarching story".
Dan Houser and co-writer James Worrall drew influence from mob films and the mafiosi featured in films by
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, inclu ...
;
the team also "paid a lot of attention" to shows like ''
Miami Vice
''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo "Rico" Tubbs, two M ...
'' and ''The Sopranos''.
When writing the story, Dan Houser and Worrall regularly met with the designers, and filled a room with
post-it note
A Post-it Note (or sticky note) is a small piece of paper with a re-adherable strip of glue on its back, made for temporarily attaching notes to documents and other surfaces. A low-tack pressure-sensitive adhesive allows the notes to be easil ...
s to reconstruct the story components to shape the game.
Many of the game characters were animated using
motion capture, filmed at a rented studio at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...
, though this was limited by technical constraints. The character movement was also treated as being cinematic, though limited
polygons
In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...
heavily inhibited this.
Animating
non-player characters entering and driving cars proved to be difficult for the team, due to the variety of vehicle designs. "It involved chaining together dozens of different animations and altering key frames in code", recalled software engineer
Alan Campbell. The team used varying camera angles when animating the game's cutscenes in order to evoke different emotions.
For the voice acting, the team wanted "natural, subtle performances", which proved difficult as many of the actors "had in their head the idea that because video games are animated, their performances needed to be animated", explained motion capture director
Navid Khonsari
Navid Khonsari ( fa, نوید خونساری) (born 1970) is an Iranian - Canadian video game, virtual/mixed reality, film and graphic novel creator, writer, director and producer.
Khonsari is the co-founder of iNK Stories, an award-winning stu ...
.
The playable protagonist is unnamed in the game,
and his name is not officially revealed as Claude until his appearance in ''
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'' (2004). He is a
silent protagonist, never speaking throughout his appearances; the team decided upon this primarily because it "did not seem like a major issue", due to the other challenges faced during development, and also partly to allow players to identify with the character, as he would be who the players want him to be.
The developers did not have "any one single inspiration" for Claude; they liked the idea of a "strong, silent killer, who would be juxtaposed with all of these neurotic and verbose mobsters".
Sound and radio design
''Grand Theft Auto III'' features about three and a half hours of in-game radio material. For the music, the team sought a broad diversity to recreate the real sensation of skipping through radio stations, reflecting the
gangster movie
A gangster film or gangster movie is a film belonging to a genre that focuses on gangs and organized crime. It is a subgenre of crime film, that may involve large criminal organizations, or small gangs formed to perform a certain illegal act. The ...
culture invoked by the game. The team used the talk radio stations to add character to the city and provide a "unique take on American life";
Sam Houser described it as "a very iconoclastic look at America".
The team used real
DJs
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...
to portray those on the radio. In doing so, they wrote unusual dialogue for the DJs, seeking the effect of "high production values and absurd content". Music director Craig Conner assembled the assets of the radio station—music, advertisements, DJ dialogue, and station imaging.
Chatterbox FM, one of the game's radio stations, is entirely
talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featu ...
hosted by
Lazlow Jones, who met Rockstar's managing director Terry Donovan in 2001 as they were both preparing to travel to Los Angeles for
E3. Donovan invited Jones to Rockstar's offices in Manhattan, where he met the development team, including Dan and Sam Houser and producer Jamie King, and they invited him to work on the game. The writing sessions took place at Dan Houser's apartment, and the entire process, including editing and recording, took around four to five months. With the station's guests and callers, the writers wanted to satirise American lifestyles, focusing on fictional stories as opposed to quickly outdated stories based on recent news. Jones found the conversations to be natural, having worked in radio for several years. The roles of the guests and callers were performed by Jones's friends and neighbours, including his father, and were recorded in New York.
Cuts and changes
Prior to ''Grand Theft Auto III''s initial release, several modifications were made to the game. While changes are frequent during
game development
Video game development (or gamedev) is the process of developing a video game. The effort is undertaken by a developer, ranging from a single person to an international team dispersed across the globe. Development of traditional commercial PC ...
, these changes were noted to be around the time of the
attacks of September 11, 2001
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated Suicide attack, suicide List of terrorist incidents, terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, ...
, which led to speculation that the changes were motivated by the attacks. On 19 September 2001, Rockstar delayed the game's release by three weeks, citing the attacks as an influencing factor in the delay.
"Everyone had someone who had an uncle or brother
ho was impacted by the attack, said
Paul Eibeler, then president of distributor
Take-Two Interactive
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. is an American video game holding company based in New York City and founded by Ryan Brant in September 1993.
The company owns two major publishing labels, Rockstar Games and 2K, which operate internal ...
.
One of the changes made shortly after the 9/11 attacks was the colour scheme of the
police cars, which were originally blue with white stripes and resembled that of the
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
. It was changed to black-and-white designs common among several police departments in the United States, such as
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
and
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
. Other changes included altering the flight path of a plane to avoid appearing to fly into or behind a skyscraper and removing a mission referencing terrorists, as well as some changes to pedestrian dialogue and talk radio.
Another cut to the game was the character of Darkel, a revolutionary urchin who vowed to bring down the city's economy. When references to Darkel were found in the game's code, speculation arose that he was related to 9/11, but Dan Houser explained that the character had been cut "months before
elease.
There are also reports and previews stating that the game featured schoolchildren as pedestrians prior to release,
although Rockstar has dismissed such rumours as "nonsense".
Rockstar stated that the game was "about 1% different" after 9/11, and that the biggest change was the cover art. They felt that the game's original cover, which was still used for its release in Europe, was "too raw" after 9/11, and it was changed to what became the "signature style" of the series.
Sam Houser stated that the cover was designed in an evening and was instantly preferred over the original cover.
The cover was inspired by the movie posters for 1960s films, such as ''
The Thomas Crown Affair'' (1968).
Critical reception
Initial release
''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released to critical acclaim.
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
calculated an average score of 97 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 56 reviews. It is tied with ''
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3'' is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the '' Tony Hawk's'' series. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision under the Activision O2 label in 2001 for the PlayStation, Pl ...
'' as the highest-rated PlayStation 2 game on the site and tied with a number of others as the sixth-highest-rated game overall.
Reviewers liked the game's sound,
gameplay,
and open world design,
though some criticism was directed at the controls.
Tom Bramwell of ''
Eurogamer
''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson.
Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EG ...
'' called ''Grand Theft Auto III'' "a luscious, sprawling epic",
and ''
Official PlayStation Magazine'' named it "the most innovative, outlandish, brilliant video game".
''
GameSpot
''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. In addition ...
''s
Jeff Gerstmann
Jeff Gerstmann (born August 1, 1975) is an American video game journalist. Former editorial director of the gaming website ''GameSpot'' and the co-founder/editor of the gaming website ''Giant Bomb'', Gerstmann began working at ''GameSpot'' in t ...
described the game as "an incredible experience that shouldn't be missed by anyone";
''
IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
''s Doug Perry named it "one of the best titles of the year, on PlayStation 2, or on any system".
Many reviewers found the 3D graphics a welcome change from the 2D of the previous games.
''GameSpot''s Gerstmann particularly praised the character and vehicle models, and the overall texture quality of the city.
''
GameSpy''s Andrei Alupului found the graphics "really rather impressive", describing the car models as "greatly improved" over those in ''
Midnight Club
''Midnight Club'' is a series of arcade-style racing video games developed by Rockstar San Diego (formerly known as Angel Studios) and published by Rockstar Games. ''Midnight Club'' is similar to the '' Midtown Madness'' series (previously de ...
''.
''Eurogamer''s Bramwell considered the graphics "generally pleasant to look at", but considered it inferior to games like ''
Gran Turismo 3
''Gran Turismo 3: A-Spec'' is a 2001 racing game, the first in the ''Gran Turismo'' series released for the PlayStation 2. During its demonstration at E3 2000 and E3 2001 the game's working title was ''Gran Turismo 2000''. Like its predecessors ...
'' and ''
Ico
is an action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, released for the PlayStation 2 video game console in 2001 and 2002 in various regions. It was designed and directed by Fumito U ...
''.
Justin Leeper of ''
Game Informer
''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...
'' described game world as "stunning in scope and detail",
and Perry of ''IGN'' found it to be "on a scale that's truly epic".
''
Game Revolution''s Ben Silverman called the city a "technological marvel ... that captures the essence of gritty city life in amazing detail".
''IGN''s Perry considered the game's sound "unbelievably and meticulously delivered", particularly praising the soundtrack, voice acting and sound design, stating that it was "really approached as if it were done for a movie".
''Eurogamer''s Bramwell echoed similar remarks, describing the city sounds as "perfect" and the soundtrack as "monstrous".
The sound was described as "terrific" by ''GameSpot''s Gerstmann and ''Game Revolution''s Silverman,
and ''
1UP.com
''1Up.com'' was an American entertainment website that focused on video games. Launched in 2003, ''1Up.com'' provided its own original features, news stories, game reviews, and video interviews, and also featured comprehensive PC-focused conten ...
'' appreciated the subtlety of the in-game radio stations.
''
AllGame
RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel.
Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publ ...
''s Scott Alan Marriott named the music "the true star" of the game.
Reviewers considered the style of the game's missions to be a welcoming departure from those in previous games.
''1UP.com'' described the missions as "wonderfully creative",
while ''
GamesMaster'' appreciated the diversity.
''IGN''s Perry similarly appreciated the variety and scale of the missions, and praised the amount of available side missions.
''GameSpy''s Alupului described the game's story as "well-paced" and "coherent", featuring plot elements akin to a mob film.
''GameSpot''s Gerstmann found the missions entertaining and challenging, but noted that exploring the game world also offers "a great deal of fun" to players.
Reactions to the game's controls were mixed. Alupului of ''GameSpy'' found the game "controls beautifully", both while driving and on-foot.
''Game Revolution''s Silverman identified the control issues as the game's only flaw, although praised the responsiveness of the driving mechanics.
Matt Helgeson of ''Game Informer'' similarly described the driving as "great", but noted "clunky" combat.
''
GamePro''s Four-Eyed Dragon found the cars simple to manoeuvre.
''
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed ...
'' described the game's combat as "an awkward system that stymies play".
''1UP.com'' noted particular flaws in the targeting system, explaining that it "often focuses on the wrong guy".
Windows version
When ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released for Windows in May 2002, it received similar acclaim. Metacritic calculated an average score of 93 out of 100, indicating "universal acclaim", based on 20 reviews;
the game was Metacritic's highest-rated title for Windows in 2002.
Reviewers liked the visual enhancements
and control improvements,
but criticised the port for its demanding system requirements.
The in-game features and controls in the port were generally well-received. ''IGN''s Tal Blevins praised the higher precision of the mouse controls, finding the aiming mechanic more precise.
''GameSpot''s
Erik Wolpaw
Erik Wolpaw is an American video game writer. He and Chet Faliszek wrote the pioneering video game website Old Man Murray. He subsequently worked for game developers Double Fine Productions and Valve, and is known for his work on video games incl ...
also commended the mouse controls, but disapproved the replay system, particularly due to the lack of options with timing and camera controls.
''
Extended Play
An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record. ''s Andrew Bub appreciated the addition of a custom radio station, as well as the availability of custom skins.
Daniel Morris of ''
PC Gamer
''PC Gamer'' is a magazine and website founded in the United Kingdom in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future plc. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games m ...
'' praised the gameplay tweaks provided by the port but criticised the lack of major additional features, such as an overhead map of the in-game city.
The port's visuals received a positive response from reviewers. ''GameSpot''s Wolpaw praised the port's reworked textures but criticised the frequent
popup and the advanced system requirements.
''IGN''s Blevins similarly criticised the necessity of an advanced system for stable play, but ultimately felt that the port looks "a bit nicer" than the original game.
''GameSpy''s Sal Accardo felt that the port "looks much sharper" than the PlayStation 2 version, though noted some "choppy" animations.
''Extended Play''s Bub mentioned that the advanced settings resulted in slowdown and
crashes.
''Game Informer''s Matt Helgeson noticed little difference between the visuals of the original and the port.
Mobile version
When ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released to mobile devices in December 2011, it received generally positive reviews. Metacritic calculated an average score of 80 out of 100, based on 26 reviews.
Reviewers liked the enhanced visuals,
but criticism was directed at the touchscreen controls.
''IGN''s Peter Eykemans commended the port's smoother textures, especially condensed on a mobile screen,
while ''
Destructoid
''Destructoid'' is a website that was founded as a video game-focused blog in March 2006 by Yanier Gonzalez, a Cuban-American cartoonist and author. Enthusiast Gaming acquired the website in 2017, and sold it to Gamurs Group in 2022.
History
...
''s
Jim Sterling
James Stephanie Sterling, also known as Jim Sterling, is an English-American freelance video game journalist, critic, pundit, YouTuber, and professional wrestler. Before becoming independent in September 2014, they were the review editor for ...
noted improvements in the character and vehicle models.
Mark Walton of ''GameSpot'' wrote that the game runs well on high-end devices like the
Motorola Xoom
The Motorola Xoom is an Android-based tablet computer by Motorola, introduced at CES 2011 on January 5, 2011. It was the first tablet to be sold with Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The Verizon branded Xoom was the first tablet to run Android 3.1. The ...
and
Samsung Galaxy S II
The Samsung Galaxy S II (or Galaxy S2) is a touchscreen-enabled, slate-format Android smartphone designed, developed, and marketed by Samsung Electronics, as the second smartphone of the Samsung Galaxy S series. It has additional software feat ...
, but noticed significant
frame rate and texture issues on the
Xperia Play
The Xperia Play is a smartphone with elements of a handheld game console produced by Sony Ericsson. With the marketshare for dedicated handheld Video game console, game consoles diminishing into the 2010s due to the rapid expansion of smartphone ...
.
''
Pocket Gamer''s Mark Brown identified the game's short draw distance leading to sudden popup, although still found that the models and textures "have been given a tune-up" in the port.
The touchscreen controls received a mixed response. ''Eurogamer''s Dan Whitehead appreciated the driving mechanics, but felt that moving on-foot is "a flaky way of navigating" the world, and criticised the "clumsy" shooting mechanics as most of the guns cannot be manually targeted.
''IGN''s Eykemans felt that the controls "make half the experience frustrating",
and ''Destructoid''s Sterling described them as "by far the biggest barrier toward enjoying" the port.
Brown of ''Pocket Gamer'' found that the touchscreen "hasn't hindered
he gametoo drastically", commending simple movement and "effortless" driving mechanics.
Some critics identified better controls upon the use of external gamepads, but felt that they hinder the game's portability.
Commercial performance
Sales
In the United States, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' was the highest-selling game of 2001, selling over two million units by February 2002.
The game was also the second-best-selling game of 2002, only behind its sequel, ''
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City''.
Take-Two stock significantly increased following the game's launch, and the game was included in PlayStation's
Greatest Hits
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...
selection. Within a year of release, the game had sold six million copies and generated over in revenue;
by January 2003, it had sold seven million and generated over .
In the United States, the game had sold 5.35 million units by June 2004,
and 6.55 million units by December 2007.
The Windows version accounted for 420,000 sales and $16.9 million in earnings by August 2006 in the United States, where it was the 34th-best-selling computer game between January 2000 and August 2006.
In Japan, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' sold about 120,000 copies in its first week,
and roughly 300,000 by December 2003.
The number rose above 350,000 copies by January 2008.
In Europe, over a million copies of the game were reportedly sold by December 2001.
The game earned a "Diamond" award in the United Kingdom, indicating over one million sales;
it was the first game to receive this award in the region. By March 2008, the game had sold 14.5 million units worldwide.
Accolades
''Grand Theft Auto III'' received multiple nominations and awards from
gaming publications
Video game journalism is a branch of journalism concerned with the reporting and discussion of video games, typically based on a core "reveal–preview–review" cycle. With the prevalence and rise of independent media online, online publicati ...
. It was awarded
Game of the Year
Game of the Year (GotY) is an award given by various award events and media publications to a video game that they feel represented the pinnacle of gaming that year.
Events and ceremonies
British Academy Games Awards (BAFTA Games Awards)
...
at the 2nd
Game Developers Choice Awards,
and from GameSpot
and GameSpy.
It was named the Best PlayStation 2 Game by ''Game Revolution'',
''GameSpot'',
''GameSpy'',
and ''IGN''.
It also won Best Action Game from ''Game Revolution'',
''GameSpot'',
and ''IGN'';
Most Innovative from ''GameSpot'';
and Excellence in Game Design at the Game Developers Choice Awards.
''GameSpy'' also awarded the game Most Offensive,
Best Use of Radio,
and tied for Best Artificial Intelligence.
It won the Global Award at the 7th
CESA Game Awards in 2003
and an Award for Excellence at the 8th CESA Game Awards in 2004.
Controversies
Prior to and since the release of ''Grand Theft Auto III'', the game generated several controversies. ''GameSpy'' awarded it the title "Most Offensive Game of the Year", calling it "absolutely reprehensible".
They wrote that the game rewards players for "causing mayhem" and "killing innocent people by the dozen", ultimately questioning its appropriateness within the industry.
The notoriety of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' resulted in American retailer
Wal-Mart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
's decision to check the identification of purchasers who appeared to be under the age of 17 when purchasing mature titles.
In an essay, assistant professor Shira Chess identified the lack of conclusion to player violence, due to the ability to respawn upon death or incarceration, and found that it denies the "reality of mortality and simultaneously
orcesit on players". When speaking about the game's depiction of violence, producer Leslie Benzies claimed that is intended to be comedic, and that the game is "not meant to be taken seriously".
Producer Dan Houser stated that the team was conscious of the offence that the game would attract, but "never marketed it in a way that exploited that".
The game allows players to participate in sexual activities with prostitutes and murder them to reclaim the payment, which was met with widespread controversy.
The game also received some backlash for its depiction of crime and allowing violence against police officers. Psychologist
David Walsh of the
National Institute on Media and the Family
The National Institute on Media and the Family (NIMF), founded by psychologist David Walsh in 1996 and closed in 2009 was a nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was a nonsectarian advocacy group which sought to monitor mass ...
stated that the game "glamorizes antisocial and criminal activity",
and that "the purpose of the game is to perpetrate crime".
In response, ''
Kotaku'' writer Owen Good wrote that the game does not reward players for "proficiency at crime, no matter how much it is accused of doing so".
Joanna Weiss of ''
The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' noted the "adrenaline" that players feel when committing crimes in the game, excusing its violence due to its mature classification.
In January 2002, the
National Organization for Women
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...
called for Rockstar and Take-Two to withdraw the game from sale as it "encourages violence and the degradation of women".
Matt Richtel
Matt Richtel (born October 2, 1966 in Los Angeles) is an American writer and journalist for ''The New York Times''. He was awarded the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for a series on distracted driving.
Education
Richtel obtained a bac ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' wrote that the activities within the game "crossed the line into bad taste".
''Grand Theft Auto III'' was initially released in Australia with an MA15+ classification. After re-reviewing the game, however, the
Office of Film and Literature Classification
The Office of Film and Literature Classification ( mi, Te Mana Whakaatu), branded as the Classification Office, is an independent Crown entity established under Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 responsible for censorship ...
(OFLC)
banned it due to its depiction of sexual content and violence against prostitutes.
This prompted Take-Two to appeal to the OFLC, who reaffirmed the banned status on 11 December 2001, after reanalysing the game and seeking the professional opinion of a forensic psychologist. As a result, Take-Two recalled the game in Australia, and Rockstar made appropriate changes to the game; a modified version was re-released with an MA15+ classification in January 2002, removing all instances of sexual acts with prostitutes.
The game was re-rated with an R18+ classification in September 2019, citing "sexual activities related to incentives and rewards".
On 25 June 2003, teenage stepbrothers William and Josh Buckner shot at motorists, killing Aaron Hamel and wounding Kimberly Bede. In statements to investigators, the perpetrators claimed their actions were inspired by ''Grand Theft Auto III''. In response, on 20 October 2003, the families of Hamel and Bede filed a US$246 million lawsuit against Rockstar, Take-Two,
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), formerly known as Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), is a multinational video game and digital entertainment company wholly owned by multinational conglomerate Sony. The SIE Group is made up of two legal co ...
and Wal-Mart.
Rockstar and Take-Two filed for dismissal of the lawsuit, stating in
United States district court
The United States district courts are the trial courts of the U.S. federal judiciary. There is one district court for each federal judicial district, which each cover one U.S. state or, in some cases, a portion of a state. Each district co ...
on 29 October 2003 that the "ideas and concepts", and the "purported psychological effects" of the perpetrators, are protected by the
First Amendment
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
's free-speech clause.
Jack Thompson Jack Thompson may refer to:
Sports
* Jack Thompson (footballer, born 1892) (1892–1969), English footballer who played for Sheffield United and Bristol City
* Jack Thompson (1920s footballer), English footballer who played for Aston Villa and Brig ...
, the lawyer representing the victims, denied Rockstar's claims and attempted to move the lawsuit into a state court for consideration under Tennessee's consumer protection act.
Legacy
![Grand Theft Auto III, Game On](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Grand_Theft_Auto_III%2C_Game_On.jpg)
''Grand Theft Auto III'' has been frequently included among the
greatest video games of all time
This is a list of video games that multiple reputable video game journalists or magazines have considered to be among the best of all time. The games listed here are included on at least six separate "best/greatest of all time" lists from differ ...
.
In 2007, ''GamePro'' called ''Grand Theft Auto III'' the most important video game of all time, explaining that the "game's open-ended gameplay elements have revolutionized the way all video games are made".
Similarly, ''IGN'' ranked the game among the "Top 10 Most Influential Games",
and ''GameSpot'' listed it among the greatest games of all time.
In 2009, ''Game Informer'' wrote that ''Grand Theft Auto III'' "changed the gaming landscape forever with its immersive open world sandbox", and in 2016, ''
GamesRadar+
''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites '' Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and ''Computer ...
'' named it the "most important game" of the 2000s.
''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' named it one of the greatest video games of all time in November 2012
and August 2016.
The game was selected as part of the
Game On touring exhibition, demonstrating some of the game's development plans and artwork.
In 2016,
The Strong National Museum of Play
The Strong National Museum of Play (known as just The Strong Museum or simply the Strong) is part of The Strong in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1969 and based initially on the personal collection of Rochester native Margaret ...
inducted ''Grand Theft Auto III'' to its
World Video Game Hall of Fame
The World Video Game Hall of Fame is an international hall of fame that opened on June 4, 2015. It is located in The National Museum of Play's ''eGameRevolution'' exhibit; the hall's administration is overseen by The Strong and the Internatio ...
.
''Grand Theft Auto III'' is considered to have a leading role in the popularisation of
sandbox game
A sandbox game is a video game with a gameplay element that provides players a great degree of creativity to interact with, usually without any predetermined goal, or alternatively with a goal that the players set for themselves. Such games may ...
s, inspiring those such as ''
Crackdown
Crackdown may refer to
* ''Crackdown'' (web series)
* ''Crackdown'' (video game series)
** ''Crackdown'' (video game)
** ''Crackdown 2
''Crackdown 2'' is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Ruffian Games and published by ...
'', ''
Mafia
"Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...
'', ''
Saints Row
''Saints Row'' is a series of action-adventure video games created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver. The series follows the 3rd Street Saints, a fictional street gang originally operating out of the Saints Row district, hence ...
'', ''
True Crime
True crime is a nonfiction literary, podcast, and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people associated with and affected by criminal events.
The crimes most commonly include murder; about 40 pe ...
'', and ''
Watch Dogs
''Watch Dogs'' (stylized as ''WATCH_DOGS'') is an action-adventure video game franchise published by Ubisoft, and developed primarily by its Montreal and Toronto studios using the Disrupt game engine. The series' eponymous first title was rel ...
''.
The term "
''Grand Theft Auto'' clone" is frequently used to describe subsequent video games released with similar open-ended gameplay as ''Grand Theft Auto III''.
While previous video games used open world design, including earlier ''Grand Theft Auto'' games, ''Grand Theft Auto III'' took this gameplay foundation and expanded it into a 3D world,
offering an unprecedented variety of minigames and side-missions.
Journalist and consultant Tom Bramwell felt that the game did not invent a lot of its gameplay features, but "brought them all together".
Due to its greater success over its predecessors, it is credited with popularising the open-world genre;
Dan Houser felt that the game made it "one of the most vibrant genres today",
and Garbut felt that it led to the complexities of Rockstar's future open world games, including the later ''Grand Theft Auto'' titles and ''
Red Dead Redemption 2
''Red Dead Redemption 2'' is a 2018 action-adventure game developed and published by Rockstar Games. The game is the third entry in the ''Red Dead'' series and a prequel to the 2010 game ''Red Dead Redemption''. The story is set in 1899 and f ...
'' (2018).
''IGN''s Jack Harwood wrote that the game's talk radio station inspired similar inclusions in other open world games, such as ''
Mafia III
''Mafia III'' is a 2016 action-adventure video game developed by Hangar 13 and published by 2K Games. It was released in October 2016 for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, in May 2017 for macOS, and in October 2021 for Google Stadia. It is ...
'' (2016) and ''
Watch Dogs: Legion'' (2020).
The game also led the trend of mature video games; Dan Houser felt that it allowed other developers to create violent shooters.
Hal Halpin, president of the
Entertainment Consumers Association, described ''Grand Theft Auto III'' as the "lightning rod for the violence-in-games debate".
''
Metro
Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to:
Geography
* Metro (city), a city in Indonesia
* A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center
Public transport
* Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urb ...
''s Roger Hargreaves wrote that it "emboldened a whole new wave of games that were ... fixated with violence
ndgang culture".
Greg Ford of ''
Electronic Gaming Monthly
''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews.
History
The m ...
'' felt that the game allowed the medium to handle mature subject matter in a more serious manner than previously perceived, and noted the improvement of video game classification as a result of its controversy.
King said that video games at the time were often associated with children or nerds, and that the development team "wanted the rest of the entertainment industry to pay attention" and understand that the medium could also contain mature, adult content.
Following the game's success, Rockstar developed further titles in the series. ''Vice City'' and ''San Andreas'' are set in their titular locations in 1986 and 1992, respectively.
''
Grand Theft Auto Advance
''Grand Theft Auto Advance'' (also marketed as ''Grand Theft Auto'') is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Digital Eclipse and published by Rockstar Games. The eighth instalment in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, it was released for the ...
'' (2004) is set in Liberty City roughly a year before the events of ''Grand Theft Auto III''.
''
Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories'' (2005) takes place three years before the events of ''Grand Theft Auto III'' in the same rendition of Liberty City.
A completely redesigned version of the city was later used in ''
Grand Theft Auto IV
''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the e ...
'' (2008),
''
The Lost and Damned
''Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned'' is the first of two episodic expansion packs of the 2008 video game ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. The game was released individually for the X ...
'' (2009),
''
The Ballad of Gay Tony
''Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony'' is the second of two episodic expansion packs available for the 2008 video game '' Grand Theft Auto IV'', developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. The game was released individu ...
'' (2009),
and ''
Chinatown Wars'' (2009).
Ports
''Grand Theft Auto III'' was released on 21 May 2002 for Windows, supporting higher screen resolutions and draw distance, and featuring more detailed textures.
A
GameCube release was planned, but later cancelled.
In December 2003, the game was released on the Xbox, with its successor, ''Vice City'', as part of the ''Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack'' compilation. The Xbox port features custom soundtrack support as well as improved audio,
polygon models, and reflections over the previous ports.
''Double Pack'' was later bundled with ''San Andreas'' as part of ''
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy'', released in October 2005.
''The Trilogy'' was also released for
OS X on 12 November 2010.
On 15 December 2011, for the game's tenth anniversary,
War Drum Studios ported the game to
iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...
and
Android; this port is almost identical to the Windows version, with the addition of enhanced models and textures and touchscreen controls.
This port was also released on
Fire OS
Fire OS is a mobile operating system based on the Android Open Source Project, it is developed by Amazon for their devices. Fire OS includes proprietary software, a customized user interface primarily centered on content consumption, and heavy ...
on 15 May 2014.
A
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on November 11, 2006, in Japan, November ...
version was released on 25 September 2012 via the
PlayStation Network.
The original PlayStation 2 version was released for the
PlayStation 4 as a
PS2 Classics title, on 5 December 2015.
In 2012, a
modding
''Modding'' is a slang expression derived from the English verb " to modify". The term refers to modification of hardware, software, or anything else, to perform a function not originally intended by the designer, or to achieve bespoke specif ...
community under the name RAGE Classic Team ported the map over to ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', named ''Grand Theft Auto III: RAGE Classic''.
An enhanced version of ''The Trilogy'' subtitled ''
The Definitive Edition'', including ''Grand Theft Auto III'', was released for Windows,
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4,
PlayStation 5,
Xbox One
The Xbox One is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. Announced in May 2013, it is the successor to Xbox 360 and the third base console in the Xbox series of video game consoles. It was first released in North America, parts of ...
, and
Xbox Series X/S
The Xbox Series X/S are home video game consoles developed by Microsoft. They were both released on November 10, 2020, as the fourth generation Xbox, succeeding the Xbox One. Along with Sony's PlayStation 5, also released in November 202 ...
on 11 November 2021, to celebrate the game's twentieth anniversary; versions for Android and iOS devices are also in development. Existing versions of the game were removed from digital retailers in preparation for ''The Definitive Edition''.
A core team of six fans
reverse-engineered
Reverse engineering (also known as backwards engineering or back engineering) is a process or method through which one attempts to understand through deductive reasoning how a previously made device, process, system, or piece of software accompli ...
the game and released it as an
executable in April 2020, having worked on it since 2016; titled ''re3'', the project allows the game to be unofficially ported to platforms such as Nintendo Switch,
PlayStation Vita, and
Wii U
The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4.
Th ...
.
Take-Two issued a
DMCA takedown
The Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act (OCILLA) is United States federal law that creates a conditional 'safe harbor' for online service providers (OSP) (a group which includes internet service providers (ISP) and other Inter ...
for the project in February 2021,
though it was restored in June after the team filed a counter-notice.
In September 2021, Take-Two filed a lawsuit in California against the programmers, asserting that the projects constitute copyright infringement.
Notes
References
Literature
*
*
*
*
*
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grand Theft Auto 3
2001 video games
Action-adventure games
Android (operating system) games
Cancelled GameCube games
Censored video games
Cultural depictions of the Mafia
D.I.C.E. Award for Action Game of the Year winners
D.I.C.E. Award for Adventure Game of the Year winners
Game Developers Choice Award for Game of the Year winners
Golden Joystick Award for Game of the Year winners
Golden Joystick Award winners
Grove Street Games games
Impact of the September 11 attacks on the video game industry
Interactive Achievement Award winners
IOS games
MacOS games
Motion capture in video games
Nintendo Switch games
Obscenity controversies in video games
Open-world video games
Organized crime video games
PlayStation 2 games
PlayStation 4 games
PlayStation 5 games
PlayStation Network games
RenderWare games
Rockstar Games games
Rockstar Vienna games
Single-player video games
Take-Two Interactive games
Triad (organized crime)
Video games about revenge
Video games about the illegal drug trade
Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Video games produced by Dan Houser
Video games produced by Leslie Benzies
Video games set in 2001
Video games set in the United States
Video games set on fictional islands
Video games with custom soundtrack support
Video games written by Dan Houser
Windows games
Works about Colombian drug cartels
Works about the Yakuza
World Video Game Hall of Fame
Xbox games
Xbox One games
Xbox Series X and Series S games