Game files reveal Rockstar's plans for a Mission Creator in GTA Online. This discovery suggests Rockstar is preparing for the game's future.
The Bottom Dollar Bounties update could be one of Rockstar Games' last expansions for Grand Theft Auto Online. Most would expect GTA Online to go out with a bang — instead, the drip-feed release of content and updates continues as starved fans become more desperate for news on the successor.
As Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive play coy about when GTA 6's next trailer will be released, leakers and insiders are hard at work piecing together clues. Tez2, in particular, unearthed an interesting discovery over the weekend about the developer's plans for GTA Online, which he shared on X.
As found in the game files of the latest GTA Online update, released June 25, the game already has an empty script for the Mission Creator. For those that don't know, the Mission Creator allows users to create content in the game.
If implemented at a wider scale, this would mean that Rockstar can rely on user-generated content to help keep the GTA Online community alive — many games are kept popular by lively modding communities after all, and this could be similar. If it's actually as in-depth as expected, it could help GTA Online thrive well after Grand Theft Auto 6 has rolled out.
The added benefit is that effectively leaving GTA Online in the hands of its, let's just say "creative", community with minimal oversight allows Rockstar to focus entirely on GTA 6, which it already started to do so earlier this year with its controversial back-to-office mandate.
While GTA Online likely still has a couple of developer-driven content updates left, a community-run ecosystem could take the popular online title's immersion and fun factor to the next level. Although one can't help but wonder if this has something to do with Rockstar's acquisition of Cfx.re, the group behind FiveM and RedM—the largest online communities for GTA Online and Red Dead Online, respectively.
Indeed, it's a logical move for Rockstar to support user-generated content in GTA Online, but the studio has a reputation for dropping features. In the past year alone, we've learned plenty about its former plans for GTA Online, including the canceled single-player DLCs for GTA 5, which one of the game's lead actors and developers have since confirmed.
If it's true that a public Mission Creator is in the pipeline, we're bound to hear about it sooner rather than later — possibly before the next major GTA Online update — especially if the rumors pan out and there truly aren't many more left to go.
Speaking of updates, don't expect to hear more about GTA 6 anytime soon. If you're interested in more GTA, you can check out a recent interview with one of the original devs at Rockstar North, where he reveals one reason why GTA 6 might leave fans feeling disappointed.
