GTA Creators Lack Early Access to GTA 6, Dave Jones Says

Even the original creators of Grand Theft Auto have not played the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 ahead of its release.

Thirteen years after the launch of the last instalment, developer Rockstar Games has kept its largest project under wraps. Dave Jones and Brian Baglow built the original game in Dundee, Scotland in 1997 through DMA Design. Yet they lack early access.

“We’re all waiting to see what they’ve done,” Jones said, sitting alongside Baglow.

Neither creator received special treatment from the studio. Baglow said that he secured his copy through standard channels, stating, “I’ve got the pre-order.” Following its success with the puzzle game Lemmings, the studio originally toyed around with the idea of making a racing game called Race’n’Chase before the franchise evolved into a cultural reference point.

Part of the unique spin came in a premise gamers now take for granted. “just getting out of the car” was the premise, Jones said. The ability to drive cars meant players could switch and steal vehicles.

They could run about on foot as they did so. This meant all of a sudden players had an interesting mix of gaming coming together. The developers realized early on that it was more fun playing the bad guy.

“At some point we just said, you know what, it’s way more fun playing the bad guy, so that’s what the game was about,” Jones said.

Themes of criminality and violence in the original release led to debates in the UK Parliament and calls to ban the game. It later transpired that much of that was generated by the publisher, BMG Interactive, as a viral marketing stunt. Jones said that they simply did things they felt were fun, relying on word of mouth from players who experienced the game.

The series eventually grew into a cultural reference point recognised and referenced outside gaming. Jones recalled movies where characters told others not to go all GTA on them. Baglow said that watching the rest of the world fall in love with the game over the last 29 years has been joyful and meant so much to so many people.

The upcoming release will feature brand new protagonists Jason and Lucia. This is the first playable female character in any 3D game in the series. Rockstar North has led development on the franchise.

The wider Scottish gaming sector also features Epic Games UK, which established a registered UK corporate identity in January 2018 after purchasing Cloudgine—a company founded by Dave Jones—alongside smaller firms like Incentive Games operating within the iGaming industry.

The incoming title follows a 13-year wait, two delays, and several high-profile leaks. When GTA V launched in 2013, it made $1bn (£760m) in just three days, faster than any entertainment product had achieved at the time. GTA 6 is expected to surpass its predecessor on every level in scale, scope, and revenue.

More on this story: How to Play GTA 6 Early: Release Date and Access Guide