Releasing in the mid 1990s, the original Grand Theft Auto looked very different from Rockstar's latest entries in the franchise. Featuring a top-down perspective, there was none of the open world that Grand Theft Auto 5 offers, letting players create chaos throughout six levels spanning across three cities. A lot of the team that worked on the original Grand Theft Auto are no longer a part of Rockstar, but some of these developers still have access to and post about the work they have done on the franchise's past.
One of those developers is Mike Dailly, who recently posted two videos showing prototype gameplay of the first Grand Theft Auto, giving fans a look at the original build of the game. Dailly, who was a founder of DMA Designs, which is now known as Rockstar North, was then shocked to see that his videos had since been taken down due to a copyright strike by the Grand Theft Auto developer. Dailly has since taken to Twitter to state his dissatisfaction with the turn of events.
Fans of Grand Theft Auto were disappointed to find out that Rockstar could be taking down videos showing the process of how the iconic franchise was first conceptualized. Footage of the development of the early Grand Theft Auto games is rare enough, and many argued it could be a useful source for video game history and preservation. Rockstar has currently not commented on the removal of Dailly's footage, but from the developer's allegations it seems his video won't be the only one risking take-downs.
According to Dailly, Rockstar is targeting any footage of a game in development tied to Grand Theft Auto. Previously, Rockstar has taken down fan projects, including recently issuing a notice against some ambitious mods that gave GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 VR modes. Also, in 2021, the developer, understandably, forced a popular GTA Online cheat site to shut down, so it does have a history of removing content online related to Grand Theft Auto. However, it does seem odd to take down a video of the original Grand Theft Auto, especially considering the value it could have for video game preservation.
Rockstar is currently focused on the development of Grand Theft Auto 6. With GTA 5 having been out for nearly a decade, many are looking to see what the developer has set up next for the future of the beloved franchise. Still, many are likely to be concerned about the removal of some valuable footage related to Grand Theft Auto's past and origins.
Source: Twitter