Rockstar Games has taken to their website to apologise to fans for the issues surrounding the recently released Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. The company says that it is sorry for launching the game in the state it was in and acknowledge that the trilogy should have spent more time in the oven before releasing to the general public. They said that the Trilogy is very important to them, as whatever you think of them, they are a part of cultural history and will be adding the classic PC versions of Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas back to the Rockstar Store after they were removed. As an apology, Rockstar Games have stated that everyone who has purchased Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition for PC from the Rockstar Store through June 30, 2022, will receive the classic versions in their Rockstar Games Launcher library at no additional cost. While console owners will simply receive nothing. However, the company says that they will be rolling out a software patch is several days which will fix some of the issues. Though presumably more patches will be needed as the months go by to get the game running as it should have at launch.
Message from Rockstar Games:
Hi everyone,
We want to provide an update regarding the unexpected technical issues that came to light as part of the launch of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition.
Firstly, we want to sincerely apologize to everyone who has encountered issues playing these games.
The Grand Theft Auto series — and the games that make up this iconic trilogy — are as special to us as we know they are to fans around the world. The updated versions of these classic games did not launch in a state that meets our own standards of quality, or the standards our fans have come to expect.
We have ongoing plans to address the technical issues and to improve each game going forward. With each planned update, the games will reach the level of quality that they deserve to be.
A new Title Update is on the way in the coming days for all versions of Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition that will address a number of issues. We will update everyone as soon as it is live.
In the meantime, it pains us to mention that we are hearing reports of members of the development teams being harassed on social media. We would kindly ask our community to please maintain a respectful and civil discourse around this release as we work through these issues.
While one of the goals of the Definitive Editions was to allow players to enjoy these games on modern platforms for many years to come, we also understand that some of you would still like to have the previous classic versions available for purchase.
We will be adding the classic PC versions of Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas back to the Rockstar Store shortly as a bundle. Additionally, everyone who has purchased Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition for PC from the Rockstar Store through June 30, 2022, will receive these classic versions in their Rockstar Games Launcher library at no additional cost. We will update everyone as soon as these are back in the Rockstar Store.
Once again, we’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we work through these updates to ensure these games meet everyone’s justifiably high standards.
Sincerely,
Rockstar Games
An improvement, but there’s still a LOT of work to be done before this situation is anywhere close to resolved.
This feels like a waste of development. I’m so glad I didn’t went for this.
Okay, but… isn’t this getting really old?
Developers just keep doing crap like this. People can have their issues with Nintendo, but I can’t even think of a time they’ve released a very clearly unfinished, buggy mess of a game.
It’s so hard to trust Western devs, in particular. They pull this stunt all of the time. Borderlands 3 was the last straw for me personally. I couldn’t believe how awful that was on PC when it first released.
If it’s not ready to be released, DON’T release it. Simple as that. People are willing to wait if it results in a better experience. And that was definitely the case here. This never should’ve launched in such a poor state. Just pathetic.
Rockstar could at least do a better job on the game instead of rushing it right off the bat. This is really pathetic for them to rush their games completely.
These bug problems should have never been the problem in the first place. They really need to take their time to resolved these issues to make it really decent. Rockstar would have did a better job like Nintendo did for their games.
I agree it was rushed. But also since the developers hadn’t really worked on GTA since GTA V they lost their touch. Had they been making more generation after generation like GTA 8 and 9 then they wouldn’t had never forgotten how to make games. But instead rather give PS3 and 360’s milk through PS4 and Xbone to PS5 and Series.X. that’s over 12 years of doing nothing.
+megamansurvives
I’m not excusing this practise but I would like say this likely isn’t the developers fault, usually when this happens it’s because the executives get in the way and demand that the game be released on a certain date regardless of the quality.
Apparently this is the same thing that happened with Sonic Colours Ultimate and it sucks that corporate executives continue to force developers to release said games.
Not sure if that make sense but ok?
+sonicgalaxy27
What doesn’t make sense to you? Executives =/= Developers
Executives
+sonicgalaxy27
The corporate executives are the higher ups that are above the developers. Basically they are the ones that hire the developers to make the games that in turn makes them the money.
Unfortunately, there’s a long history of corporate executives forcing developers to finish development despite the game not being finished.
Why do they do this? Because money, the longer development takes the more money corporate executives have to put into the game. Even though Grand Theft Auto is a multi-billion dollar franchise, there’s always those greedy corporate higher ups that resort to underhanded practices.
Ah I see. Gotcha. You know time like this that Executives always rushing developers for this game like this instead of spending more time of making a clean and accurate graphics on some of their games. take another company who develops call of duty.
+sonicgalaxy27
I don’t play Call of Duty but I have hears stories from players that do so I can definitely understand where you’re coming from.
I wish it was that simple, but the more time you spend making a game the more money you spend and the less money you earn. Not to mention companies are obsessed with meeting quarterly goals. If you aren’t making money when you planned to make it, investors will not be happy.
Not trying to justify it by any means, I hate how unfinished modern games are, but it’s unfortunately far more complicated of a problem than “just don’t release it”. A big issue is that video game consumers have allowed the practice to flourish. People STILL get sucked into the hype and buy buggy messes off of marketing alone. The only way companies will stop doing this if is they believe they will get more money by waiting, but unfortunately gamers are currently giving them no reason to change.
That’s the real reason why Rockstar games should spend more time on making there games more fresh unlike this one which it was rush completely.
Less money? GTA V has been top 10 selling video game since Adam and Eve. Why not just use the revenue as income while still making this game correct?
+UnitionGears
This guy gets it!
I think the definitive edition title should be removed and replaced with something else
A straight port would have been better than having these janky character models on switch. Remaster it or don’t, just don’t do this weird halfway approach.
This just shows had they stopped milking GTAV and constantly been working instead of not doing nothing since GTA V was done, they would had stayed sharp on their work.
I want all of these problems fixed in the physical releases. But I know they probably won’t be. Especially if they don’t delay the release. I’m willing to wait as long as it takes for the physical version to release with all glitches fixed.
Everyone and their mom to Rockstar Games: Oh dear, oh dear. Gorgeous.
The same people to CDPR: You effing donkey.
Pfft apology? On steam it’s pretty common that you get the original version for free if u purchase the definition/remastered version.
“We’re doig the bare minimum to redress this but only for PC players, everyone else, F you.”