GTA 5 ‘no longer static’ thanks to Grand Theft Auto Online, says Rockstar art director

When Rockstar first announced that Grand Theft Auto 5 would be getting an online multiplayer mode, the gaming universe just about exploded. The idea of rolling through the streets of Los Santos with a crew of other players, causing mayhem and destruction, was enough to get anyone excited — even Rockstar, who saw it as an opportunity to continue evolving the game even after launch.

"What I love about our GTA Online plans is that the game is no longer static," Rockstar North art director Aaron Garbut told EDGE.

"We can continue to add these things and evolve," he explained. "That’s even more exciting these days, where through forums, Reddit, etc, we have a real direct connection to the people playing the game. We can respond to what they are into and what they hate more than ever.

"It’s something that really suits the way we work, the way we’re always trying to adapt the experience and avoid walking blindly down a set path."

Garbut went on to explain that Rockstar was "never short of ideas,' but due to time constraints had to leave a lot out. "I don't feel like the game fell short," he said, "but there is undoubtedly a huge volume of plans and ideas that we wanted to do to push it further."

Whether or not those ideas will eventually make it into GTA Online as DLC remains to be seen, but thanks to the recently introduced Content Creation Tool, the mode will always receive fresh batches of player created jobs.