On the Youtube channel York Reacts, a former developer from Rockstar Games discusses the first trailer for GTA 6. He claims that the game will really look like it does in the trailer at release. We watched the video.
Who is York Reacts? The Youtube channel York Reacts belongs to Mike York, a former developer at Rockstar Games. His previous projects at Rockstar included GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2. According to his Linkedin profile, York started his career as a character animator in 2006 and has also worked on God of War Ragnarok, Callisto Protocol, and Mortal Kombat 11.
On his Youtube channel York Reacts, he reacts to current developments in the gaming industry. Recently, he has been covering more trailers from the Game Awards 2023. York also deals with in-game cutscenes and shares knowledge about video games.
That’s why the former Rockstar dev says, “When you play, it will really look like this”
What does York Reacts say about the trailer? Mike York analyzes the GTA 6 trailer in a total of 12-minute video. In it, he talks about his past at Rockstar Games and his work on GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2.
Specifically, York says about the trailer:
This is an in-game cutscene. Many games that you see are made with cinematics, and they cut to a scene that is not entirely in the game. It is, so to speak, pre-rendered, and then you see it. But everything you see in a GTA game is always done in-game. Every single cutscene, everything that runs. If you see the building way back there, you can go to that building, climb it, jump off it. Right? This game is very elaborate, that’s why it takes so long.
Mike York via York Reacts, 05.12.2023
He further points out that every visible character in the game has its own body shape. No outfit is reused. He also emphasizes that the world feels very alive because NPCs do not constantly repeat animations, and each character has its own animations.
While the trailer scenes in the nightclub are playing, he adds:
You often see a film sequence [in video games]. This is not it. When you play this game, it will really look like this. It will look exactly like this. It will be incredible. I can’t wait. Because the artists there really know how to push the consoles and the hardware to their limits with their attention to detail.
Mike York via York Reacts, 05.12.2023
When the balcony scene with the woman in the GTA version of a Louis Vuitton bikini is finally shown, York again has only praise: the lady is just a pure NPC in the game, not even a main character, and yet she is very detailed and animated – she is very realistic.
Mike York also worked on animations for GTA 5 – in this video you can see the comparison of the games:
What is the truth behind the claims? First of all: We can only know for sure how GTA 6 will finally look when the game finally starts on our home consoles. And even then, it depends on the respective console and the screen used.
Basically, it is necessary to distinguish between cutscenes and gameplay: gameplay is how the game actually looks when you have the controller in hand and you drive through the streets of Vice City. Cutscenes are the cinematic story parts where you don’t do much except follow dialogues and possibly select dialogue options.
A good example of gameplay vs cutscene is Baldur’s Gate 3. Here you play from a top-down perspective. The cutscenes, on the other hand, pull you into an almost first-person-like third-person perspective.
Presumably, the scenes shown in the GTA 6 trailer are in-game cutscenes. This type of interlude is generated purely through programmed processes in the game engine – games like Horizon Forbidden West or Final Fantasy 14 have similar cutscenes. For these cutscenes, the actual graphics is usually polished again to ensure everything looks really good.
In contrast to the engine cutscenes are the polished and pre-produced cinematic cutscenes: in games like World of Warcraft, these are produced in advance and then only
played as videos.
Presumably, York is right to some extent due to his experience with the working methods of Rockstar Games: the scenes shown in the trailer are most likely in-engine rendered and programmed in-game cutscenes, and not cinematics as used by many other games for their announcements.
However, as already mentioned, we will only know for sure when we hold GTA 6 in our hands
.
Are you already hyped for GTA 6? What must be in the game for you? We look forward to your comments.
More about GTA 6: GTA 6: Publisher explains what video games would theoretically cost
Your opinion is important to us!
Do you like the article? Then let us know!