For several years, Rockstar Games has been working diligently on the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Several months ago, the global gaming community stopped in its tracks to marvel at the game’s first trailer.
It depicts an incredible homage to the "Florida Man" online phenomena and showcases a city of crime full of dangers, opportunities, and lots of weird things. Naturally, gamers across the world loved what they saw, which is why millions of them are waiting for the game’s release.
However, while GTA6 should hit the market sometime during the fall season of 2025, the latest round of rumors and leaks showcases another Rockstar development process. We are talking about the gradual building of the GTA Creator Platform, which would allow for user-generated gaming content that may surpass all of the current mods and player-made levels.
According to current info, the Rockstar Games team is taking a page out of the playbook from another AAA studio that has a track record of making big, modding-friendly games. That studio is Bethesda, the developers behind Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series, among others. This company offers a hybrid mixture of a creator program and a tooling and tech platform for UGC creation. Through it, game-makers can apply for the Verified Creator Program, build content, and earn royalties. With the use of the official Creation Kit, modders can enroll and become an official part of the Bethesda ecosystem. For fans of games like Skyrim, this opportunity is perfect if they want to create their own mods. Looks like Rockstar is devising a way to provide something very similar to its huge GTA gaming community and its recent business decisions confirm it.
Another important piece of the puzzle behind Rockstar's intent, is the purchase of Cfx.re. This team is the developer outfit behind the FiveM, a multiplayer modification framework for GTA 5. With it, modders and creators were able to create and customize their own GTA servers. Now, under the Rockstar banner, the same team is likely working on the Creator Platform.
Rockstar is also actively hiring specialists who can expand the same division. The jobs on offer include different software engineer positions at the Rockstar London office. Some industry insiders even believe that the Creator Platform's official development process began in January 2024, but that Rockstar is simply holding off on the announcement. If Rockstar had no plans for a UGC platform, the purchase of the Cfx.re team would make little to no sense, as they would not be able to enter a development process of another Bethesda game.
Rockstar's UGC platform is not a surprise for anyone in the gaming community. Long before the current focus on user-generated gaming content, mods from GTA creators were commonplace across the internet. Even games that are now considered all-time classics, like GTA 3 from 2001, generated many modded maps and stand-alone games. Some, like GTA 3 Natural HD Textures, focused solely on the tech aspects of the game, while others played around with its content.
GTA 5 is still actively seeing mods and new levels all of the time, especially thanks to the popularity of GTA Online. So, Rockstar has no reason to avoid UGC, and the smart business move is to actively embrace its potential. With the Bethesda playbook in hand, the company’s management can combine the technical know-how from teams like Cfx.re and the marketing potential of its in-house team to create a powerful combination. If the Rockstar Creator Platform is up and ready for the launch of GTA 6, there is little doubt that both ventures will leave their mark on the world of gaming next year.
