Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition was an easy homerun for Rockstar Games, but it wasn't. All Rockstar had to do was to tap the vibrant modding community of each classic GTA game and most would have lent them a hand. Instead, Take-Two and even Rockstar vilified the modding community, taking down GTA mods, among others. The worst part is that Rockstar outsourced the games to a studio that specializes in mobile ports and to say that it didn't do a great job would be an understatement.
To date, the GTA Remastered Trilogy still isn't fully fixed despite getting a massive update in March. It might never run as smoothly on modern systems as the original classic trio with the help of mods.
Now, it appears that the backlash was enough to scare Rockstar into canceling its plans to remaster GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption.
Here is what Tez2 had to say about the pair of canceled remasters:
As per a reliable source with clear accuracy on Rockstar plans, remasters of GTA IV & RDR1 were on the table a few years ago, but Rockstar chose not to proceed with the projects in mind. The poor reception of the Trilogy DE might be a reason behind that decision. #GTAIV #RDR1
Tez2 is a trusted insider that has leaked plenty of credible information about stuff related to Rockstar Games in the past. It's worth listening to what they have to say, especially in light of the leak last November that said that the GTA IV remaster will come out next year as well as a remake of the first Red Dead Redemption game. But, if Tez2 says that Rockstar has abandoned its initial plans, we shouldn't get our hopes up.
Rockstar is a massive company under the even more humungous Take-Two umbrella, but Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption are their best sellers. After it saw the negative reception to the GTA Trilogy Remaster, we do not think that Rockstar will risk delegating a remaster of games like GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption to a smaller studio.
Unfortunately, when you consider the scale of GTA VI, Rockstar has pooled all its available resources for the next GTA game. The good news is that Rockstar has taken the safe route and isn't trying to spread itself too thin.
Having said that, this new revelation does leave us hungry to find out more about Take-Two Interactive's release pipeline until 2025.
We already know that part of Take-Two's plans includes remakes of the first two Max Payne games. But, if we're not going to see remasters of GTA IV and Red Dead Redemption, we're curious to know what other remasters the company has in store for us.
