Sleeping Dogs and the Yakuza franchise have long been called as “GTA but in Hong Kong” and “GTA but in Japan”, respectively, but what if we told you that Rockstar Games actually thought of a game set outside of the United States long before the franchise became such a global phenomenon?
According to TimeExtension, an unnamed source revealed to them that Rockstar was working on a GTA game set in Tokyo two decades ago, shortly after the release of Grand Theft Auto 3.
Set in Liberty City, GTA 3 is the turning point for the GTA franchise and Rockstar as a whole, which saw it grow from its humble top-down perspective beginnings into a global juggernaut that eventually became responsible for the second-best-selling video game of all time, Grand Theft Auto 5.
Going back to GTA: Tokyo, it apparently wasn’t just a passing thought. Inspired by the vibrant and unique atmosphere of the Japanese capital, Sam Houser, co-founder of Rockstar, worked on bringing to life their own version of a GTA game set in this exotic locale. In 2003, Rockstar’s parent company, filed trademarks for various potential GTA titles, including “GTA Tokyo.”
However, the dream of a Tokyo-based GTA ultimately remained unrealized. One of the biggest challenges was accurately recreating Tokyo’s complex urban landscape, and capturing its unique cultural nuances. Rockstar’s research team would need to spend extensive time in the city to map it properly, and there were concerns about how well the series’ trademark satirical humor would translate to a Japanese setting.
In the end, Rockstar decided to stick with what they knew best: fictional American cities inspired by real-life counterparts.
For what it’s worth, the decision to go against their initial thoughts led to one of the best video games of all time, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which you might know for its many controversies, including that one particular mod.
Nevertheless, we can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened if Rockstar hadn’t abandoned the idea. Could it have offered a fresh perspective and new gameplay opportunities? Navigating Tokyo’s dense urban environment, engaging with Yakuza-style criminal organizations, and experiencing a distinctly Japanese take on the GTA formula would’ve been a sight.
On the other hand, would it have worked? GTA’s core identity is deeply rooted in its satirical portrayal of American culture, particularly its obsessions with cars and guns. Transplanting this formula to a country with significantly different cultural norms and stricter gun laws could have fundamentally altered the GTA experience.
Despite never coming to fruition, the concept of GTA Tokyo adds to the wishlist by fans who would like to see Rockstar unleash its creativity in an international setting, especially as its lead development studio, Rockstar North, isn’t even headquartered in the United States to begin with.
At this point, it seems unlikely Rockstar will ever revisit the idea of an international GTA title. It’s too entrenched with refining and expanding its fictional but very lifelike American cities, which is working quite well. Between Grand Theft Auto 6, the next Red Dead Redemption, and possibly revisiting Bully with a sequel, the idea of a globally diverse GTA universe will remain a pipedream.
But hey, if you insist on playing a GTA game set outside of the United States or other locales, you might check out our list of GTA-like titles.
