A former developer from Rockstar Games has shared the story behind the legendary cinematic camera angle in Grand Theft Auto 3, attributing its creation to a “boring” train journey. This feature has since become a staple in every Grand Theft Auto game. Grand Theft Auto 3 was groundbreaking as it transitioned from a top-down view to stunning 3D graphics, ushering in a new era filled with significant enhancements for the series.
Former Rockstar Games employee Obbe Vermeij has been involved in the making of some of the studio’s most famous games, like Grand Theft Auto 3, Vice City, San Andreas, and Grand Theft Auto 4. Since he began posting Grand Theft Auto trivia on his blog in 2023, he has also been active on Twitter, sharing insights like why Claude is a silent character in GTA 3. In one of his latest tweets, he explained the origins of the beloved cinematic camera angle.
GTA 3 Dev Reveals How Iconic Cinematic Train Camera Angle Came to Fruition
In a new tweet, Vermeij revealed that he initially found train rides in Grand Theft Auto 3 to be “boring.” He had thought about allowing players to skip to the next station without the actual ride, but that idea was ruled out due to “streaming issues.” Instead, he chose to make the experience more captivating by switching the camera between various perspectives along the train track. When another developer suggested a similar approach for cars, it resulted in the creation of the beloved cinematic camera angle, which the Rockstar team found to be quite entertaining.
Vermeij shared that the cinematic camera angle in Grand Theft Auto Vice City, often hailed as one of the best in the series, stayed the same. However, it was later updated by another Rockstar team member for Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. Interestingly, a dedicated fan even extracted the cinematic camera angle from Grand Theft Auto 3’s files to illustrate how the experience might have differed without Vermeij’s iconic design. In response, the developer mentioned that the camera angle during the train journey would have resembled that of driving a car, positioned above and slightly behind the train.
A former developer at Rockstar Games has recently confirmed some details about a significant Grand Theft Auto leak that happened in December. This leak showed that the company had been working on an online mode for Grand Theft Auto 3, with a design document that included plans for character creation, online missions, and progression. After the leak, Vermeij disclosed that he had put together a “basic implementation” of a simple deathmatch, allowing players to earn points by defeating one another. Sadly, the online mode was eventually dropped because it “needed a lot more work.”