"Ex-Rockstar Dev Advocates GTA 4 Remaster: 'Niko Remains Top GTA Protagonist'"

A former Rockstar veteran, Obbe Vermeij, has weighed in on recent rumors swirling around the gaming community that a re-release of *Grand Theft Auto IV* (GTA 4) for the latest generation of consoles might be on the horizon. Vermeij, who served as a technical director at Rockstar from 1995 to 2009 and contributed to GTA 4, believes the game "should be remastered." He cited the game's quality and the success of recent remasters like *The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion* as reasons to update GTA 4. Vermeij also expressed his admiration for the game's protagonist, Niko Bellic, stating, "Niko is still the best protagonist in any GTA game I think."

The initial buzz about a potential GTA 4 re-release stemmed from a post by Tez2, a well-known figure within the GTA community for leaking Rockstar information. Tez2 hinted that a GTA 4 port might be released this year, suggesting this as a possible reason behind Rockstar's recent decision to shut down a GTA 5 Liberty City mod. However, it's crucial to note that Rockstar has not officially announced plans for a GTA 4 re-release. Given the studio's current focus on the highly anticipated *Grand Theft Auto VI* (GTA 6), any move to remaster GTA 4 would be unexpected.

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Vermeij speculated that if Rockstar were to remaster GTA 4, it could involve porting the game to the latest version of the Rage engine, the engine Rockstar uses to develop its games. Yet, the reality remains that Rockstar has not hinted at any plans to remaster GTA 4, especially considering the monumental task of developing GTA 6. Even with Rockstar's vast resources, undertaking a GTA 4 remaster alongside GTA 6 might be too ambitious. An alternative could be outsourcing the project to an external studio, similar to how Rockstar handled the port of *Red Dead Redemption*. However, launching a GTA 4 remaster in 2025, the same year GTA 6 is expected to be released, would likely divert attention from what is poised to be the main event of the year.

Shifting focus to the setting of GTA 4, some fans speculate that Liberty City, the game's fictional version of New York City, could make an appearance in GTA 6, either at launch or as post-launch downloadable content (DLC). GTA 6 is set in the fictional state of Leonida, which includes Vice City, Rockstar's take on Miami.

As we await further developments, there's plenty more to explore about GTA 6, including a detailed breakdown of everything we've learned so far, 70 brand new screenshots, and expert analysis on how GTA 6 will perform on the PS5 Pro.