Developed by Rockstar Games and one of the games with the world’s largest fan base, a very interesting fact about GTA has emerged. Released in 2001 and far ahead of its time, how a feature in GTA 3 was integrated into the game was revealed by the producer’s explanations 24 years later. Here are the details

GTA 3: From an ordinary train journey to the cinematic camera

Obbe Vermeij, one of the former technical directors of Rockstar Games, shared the story of the emergence of the cinematic camera feature in GTA 3. Vermeij said on social media that he realised that the train journey in the game was ‘boring’ in the initial design. He said that he considered allowing players to jump to the next stop as they travelled on the train, but that this could lead to ‘streaming issues’ with the map suddenly loading.

To solve this problem, Vermeij developed a camera system that would take images from random angles close to the train tracks. However, this idea was not limited to trains. Following a suggestion from one of the team members: ‘What if we tried the same system on cars?’, Vermeij added new perspectives for vehicles, such as wheel and tracking cameras. This innovation was unexpectedly well received by the team and the cinematic camera feature became permanent in the game.

When working on the train in gta3 I found riding it boring.
I considered letting the player jump ahead to the next station but this would cause streaming issues.

Instead, I made the camera switch between random viewpoints near the track. This made the ride more interesting.… pic.twitter.com/pcl0Kd5ewo

— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) January 7, 2025

This feature, which came to life in GTA 3, was retained in Vice City and later reworked by Derek Ward in San Andreas. According to Vermeij’s statements, this camera system was taken one step further when Ward, who had just left the Manhunt project at that time, joined the team.

The success of the cinematic camera was not limited to the GTA series. This feature was also included in Rockstar’s other major projects. Especially the reappearance of the cinematic camera in Red Dead Redemption 2 was an indication of how iconic this design has become.

Since the cinematic camera feature has become a tradition in Rockstar’s games, it is very likely that this feature will also be included in GTA 6, but there is no definite information on the subject for now. Like everyone else, we can’t wait to see what kind of experience awaits players with GTA 6, which is expected to be released in the autumn of 2025.

What do you think is the most memorable feature of the GTA series? How would the GTA experience be without the cinematic camera? Do not forget to share your comments with us.