Rockstar apologizes for GTA remasters mess — but just how much is fixable?

Rockstar apologizes for GTA remasters mess — but merely how much is fixable?

(Paradigm credit: Rockstar )

After 8 days of fan complaints most the sorry state of the GTA Trilogy remaster, Rockstar Games has finally responded, pledging to ensure that the games "reach the level of quality they deserve to exist."

Describing the myriad technical deficiencies as "unexpected," the visitor apologized for the state of the games, which "did not launch in a country that meets our standards of quality."

The developer then claimed that it would address problems with all 3 games. "We have ongoing plans to address the technical bug and to better each game going forrard," Rockstar wrote. "With each planned update, the games will reach the level of quality that they deserve to be."

Rockstar pledged that a new patch will arrive "in the coming days" that will "address a number of issues." It'southward not clear if this is the 1 mentioned, only version 1.02 has already landed with an impressive number of improvements across all formats, squashing some of the more egregious bugs, like holes in the map, broken collision detection and platform specific crashes.

There'south too a bonus for PC players. Given the poor state of the remasters, fans were doubly angry most the removal of the original titles from online stores, and this is something Rockstar has now rectified.

"We will be adding the classic PC versions of Thousand Theft Automobile III, G Theft Car: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas back to the Rockstar Store shortly as a packet," Rockstar's statement continued. "Additionally, everyone who has purchased Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition for PC from the Rockstar Shop through June 30, 2022, will receive these classic versions in their Rockstar Games Launcher library at no additional toll."

Rockstar had, until now, been silent well-nigh the criticism levelled at the remasters. But this statement may have something to practise with role player acrimony humid over into unpleasant social media attacks aimed at the developers and artists tasked with rebuilding the games in the Unreal engine.

"It pains us to mention that we are hearing reports of members of the development teams being harassed on social media," the postal service explained. "We would kindly enquire our customs to please maintain a respectful and civil discourse around this release as nosotros work through these issues."

GTA Trilogy fixes: How much can really be done?

Later on the infamously botched launch of Cyberpunk 2077 last twelvemonth, information technology took creators CD Projekt Red months to bring the game upwardly to a playable standard. In a sense, the challenge on Rockstar's plate is even greater: these are 3 giant open world games ported to a new engine with myriad problems beyond no fewer than four formats: PC, Xbox I, PS4 and Nintendo Switch.

In fact, it's even more complicated than that if, for example, you consider the Xbox One to exist unlike from the Xbox One Ten, or PS5 backwards compatibility to be different to native PS4 play. This nautical chart from Digital Foundry displaying all the possible performance permeations demonstrates the scale of the challenge ahead.

Chart showing the different versions of the remastered GTA Trilogy — (Image credit: Digital Foundry)

Information technology's not very encouraging that Rockstar describes the technical issues as "unexpected." Any serious level of pre-release playtesting would have revealed invisible bridges, rain that stops over bodies of water and the Switch version struggling with frame rates in the low 20s for a 20-year-erstwhile game.

While squashing the nearly obvious bugs should exist relatively straightforward, your definition of what constitutes "the quality they deserve to exist" may differ dramatically from Rockstar Games. The updated character models that have been — unkindly, but not unfairly — compared to Nintendo Miis aren't a bug: they're a design pick, and going back to the drawing board on them seems unlikely.

The world of the GTA trilogy looks top notch but WTF is up with the character models?!? They look like Nintendo Mii characters picture.twitter.com/YKZqB6d1Y4November 11, 2021

Run across more

Rockstar Games may be a much larger outfit than CD Projekt Crimson with resources to match, merely this is also not a make-or-break projection for the visitor. While Cyberpunk 2077 had to be a success to justify the years spent making information technology, the GTA games have already made billions for Rockstar over the years. Whatever money that the remasters make is only a bonus, really.

With that in mind, we'd be surprised if the "Definitive Edition" is e'er in a state to lucifer the dictionary definition of the words. But for now, nosotros just accept to see if actions can speak as loudly as words.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing virtually tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine besides. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably detect him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.