Just as Grand Theft Auto 3 redefined what could be done in open world games, Rockstar hopes that the online portion of the upcoming GTA V will set a new benchmark for free-roaming multiplayer.
"For GTA V we want to push all of these to a new level while incorporating new gameplay elements that would not have been possible before," Rockstar North boss Leslie Benzies told IGN. "The ability to switch between different characters allows the player to do things that wouldn't have been possible in any other GTA game, and on the multiplayer side we hope that GTA V will do for multiplayer open world games what GTA 3 did for open world single-player games."
It's already been confirmed that the Crew system from Rockstar's Max Payne 3 will return for GTA V, allowing players to set up their own gangs or join public ones. In Max Payne you were able to start feuds with rival crews, while performing tasks for your crew to earn XP boosts.
So what will Rockstar do with such a system in a digital city five times larger than the vast frontier landscape of Red Dead Redemption? "Refining open world multiplayer into something really special has been a huge focus of development and we are very excited to share more information with people soon," Benzies teased.
Grand Theft Auto V is out next Spring for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.