Ava Brooks
Nov 23, 2023
Rockstar Games stirred up a bit of commotion with their recent response, which has led to the shutdown of a blog penned by a former developer from the company. For those following Rockstar's history, this move might not be too surprising, especially considering their past actions. Last year, the creator of GTA faced a copyright claim after posting prototypes.
Over the past few days, many have been captivated by the intriguing insights shared by Obbe Vermeij, a former technical director at Rockstar North. His blog posts garnered adoration from the community, unveiling fascinating and entertaining tidbits from his days working on iconic games.
So, what went down?
Unfortunately, after a string of fantastic blog posts, Obbe's run has hit an abrupt and rather disappointing conclusion. In his latest entry, Obbe mentioned receiving an email from Rockstar North on November 22nd.
"Today (22 Nov 2023) I got an email from R*North. Apparently some of the OG’s there are upset by my blog. I genuinely didn’t think anyone would mind me talking about 20 year old games but I was wrong. Something about ruining the Rockstar mystique or something. Anyway, This blog isn’t important enough to me to piss off my former colleagues in Edinburgh so I’m winding it down. I’ll maybe just leave a few articles with anecdotes that don’t affect anyone but me. I would love for Rockstar to open up about development of the trilogy themselves, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen anytime soon. Maybe I’ll try again in a decade or two. Till then, Obbe."
He clarified on X that he wasn't coerced into shutting down the blog or its posts, but rather "just a former colleague letting me know that several people in North didn’t like the Blog. That’s all."
Rockstar Games' way of business
While Rockstar Games' aura of secrecy has undoubtedly contributed to their fervent fanbase, disclosing information about games nearly two decades old doesn't seem too far-fetched.
One of the standout quotes from Obbe came from his post about San Andreas development. It serves as a reminder that those creating these games pour their hearts into them, yet they often remain unrecognised as the rock stars they truly are.
