Grand Theft Auto 3: A World with Traffic Laws
In a fascinating revelation, former Rockstar developer Obbe Vermeij has shared insights into a scrapped feature for Grand Theft Auto 3 (GTA 3) that would have introduced traffic law enforcement.
Vermeij's post on X, the Everything App, revealed that during GTA 3's development, players would have been penalized with a one-star wanted level for running red lights. This feature was inspired by Mafia 1, the only known open-world crime game to enforce traffic rules and punish violations.
Vermeij acknowledged that the feature faced criticism from the development team. He recalled, "This was not popular with the team. I quickly removed it." Despite this, Vermeij expressed a lingering curiosity about a world where GTA 3 implemented traffic laws.
However, Vermeij admitted that the feature's annoyances outweighed its potential benefits. "It was still annoying," he said. "The cops were quite aggressive even at one star so you'd get nailed immediately."
Vermeij concluded that the decision to remove traffic laws was ultimately the correct one. Yet, he also acknowledged the intriguing possibilities of an open-world crime game that required players to adhere to traffic regulations.
As for the possibility of traffic laws returning in GTA 6, Vermeij is skeptical. "It was really really annoying. I'm sure they'll realize it's a bad idea."