Seemingly out of nowhere, Grand Theft Auto III has been given a brand new rating in Australia. Of course it was given the highest possible one, R 18+, but that isn’t the important thing here. The major aspect from this is that the only reason an older game would be given a new rating is that it’s being prepped for a re-release. The classification was also tweeted out by well known media aficionado Nibel.
It’s apparent that Rockstar Games is getting ready for an announcement of sorts, but it’s not entirely clear what they’ll be doing with their now 18 year old title. The company knows that they only have so much more to offer with the current game in the series, Grand Theft Auto V, despite the continued popularity and online play it garners. Let’s not forget, that game came out over 6 years ago. Naturally this new rating has stoked the fires of the video game rumor mill. While this is very exciting, it’s important to keep in mind that this is all just based on conjecture, as Rockstar has not commented on the rating themselves.
The prevailing theory is that the game might be ported to the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. GTA III was released on the PlayStaion 4 as a PS2 Classics title in 2015, with literally no changes made to the base game whatsoever. We might see a similar treatment for the aforementioned systems, complete with achievements for the Xbox and the unique mechanics with the Switch. Another opportunity is that Rockstar could be remaking the game from the ground up as a full Remaster for all systems. This might be an older title, but we know that it would be an immediate seller for the company, especially if it’s made in the same vein as GTA V.
Speaking of PC, the company also announced last week that they were introducing their very own game launcher, the Rockstar Games Launcher. Those who downloaded the new application got Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for free, which is an enticing way to bring a new audience, or older one, into the fold for PC gaming. The launcher has been talked about quite a bit since it was unveiled, and we have a feeling that potential remaster of GTA III will somehow be involved with this. There’s no real proof to back this up, but with both the launcher and the rating brought out so close to each other, it’s hard not to take a second look and think that the company has something up their sleeves.
The last piece of gossip is that this will, in some way, lead to what most fans of the franchise have been waiting for; Grand Theft Auto VI. The likelihood of this being part of GTA III‘s rating is extremely low, as Rockstar is famous, or infamous, for going at a snails pace during the development of their franchises. We may have a few easter eggs and teases here and there, but this is probably the last thing to think about in relation to it.
Either way, we’re fairly excited about this new rating, as it gives us another reason to play one of the greatest games of all time. Grand Theft Auto III was, and still is considered to be one of the most revolutionary open world titles in existence, and was largely responsible for the influx of non-linear games in what is now called the “Sandbox” genre. It launched the franchise into worldwide super stardom, and Rockstar Games has only taken it further and better with each new entry, keeping the series fresh and ahead of the curve despite the ever changing video game market.
We’ll be keeping an eye on this story as it develops, and hopefully we hear something sooner than later. GTA III’s anniversary is on October 22, which would be a perfect day for an announcement.