The former Rockstar camera artist has spoken about a standalone Trevor DLC that was planned for GTA V but cancelled due to the success of GTA Online.
GTA V fans have long speculated that Rockstar Games has not released a single-player DLC or expansion due to the continued success of GTA Online, a move seen as a result of the company’s focus on the online platform.
Former Rockstar Employee Confesses About Cancelled GTA V Trevor DLC
Former Rockstar camera artist Joe Rubino, who worked on Max Payne 3 and GTA V, made some interesting comments in an interview with YouTuber SanInPlay. “Most of the team went straight to Red Dead Redemption 2 after Grand Theft Auto V came out, and I took on this other project that was a standalone DLC for Grand Theft Auto that never came out. That was my job. I was one of the main editors and camera artists, and I did a lot of the scene stuff. We split our teams. I stayed on GTA Online and I stayed on this DLC that Steven Ogg[who plays Trevor]was a huge part of,” Rubino said.
Rubino described the process of canceling the project and reallocating resources: “Then some of the team overlapped and went to Red Dead Redemption 2 early, and then we did that, because we spent a lot of money when that game got shelved. I still believe a lot of that stuff ended up in the later versions of GTA Online. It wasn’t a waste. It was really good. Whatever happened when GTA Online came out, it was so profitable and people loved it so much that it was hard to argue that a standalone DLC would outdo it. I guess looking back now I’d say you could probably do both. But it was a business decision they made.”
Rubino expressed his feelings about the cancellation of the project, saying, “I was a little upset about it. Actually, the biggest reason I was a little upset at the time was because I was like, ‘Guys, this is great. Let’s keep going, let’s finish this. We probably got about halfway through and then we took a break because GTA Online was so… People were going crazy.” Rubino’s statements reveal the studio’s internal dynamics and the impact financial decisions have on the creative process.