GTA 3 dev shares how iconic cinematic camera was born

According to a former Rockstar Games developer, the cinematic camera angle that has become ingrained into Grand Theft Auto was inspired by a “boring” train ride in the game. First appearing in GTA 3, the feature brought the series from the top-down view to 3D and kicked off a new era of action-adventure gaming,

Former Rockstar Games developer Obbe Vermeij, who helped create GTA 3, Vice City, San Andreas, and GTA 4, has been sharing details of the series’ behind-the-scenes action. Since starting a blog in 2023, he has discussed fan theories like why GTA 3’s main character, Claude, doesn’t speak.

In his newest post, Vermeij explained how the iconic cinematic camera angle was born. The feature is now a staple in every GTA title.

The cinematic camera remained unchanged for Vice City. One of the coders that joined us after finishing Manhunt (Derek Ward) took over the camera and revamped the cinematic camera for SA.

— Obbe Vermeij (@ObbeVermeij) January 7, 2025

The GTA 3 train ride was initially usual behind the carriage view

Vermeij tweeted that he considered having players skip to the next station because he found the train ride “boring.” However, the option was unworkable due to technical limitations.

He instead had the idea of going down the track, switching cameras to random viewpoints along the journey. Vermeij added another team member who also got inspired and suggested applying the same concept to cars. This way, the cinematic camera was born and loved by the team, who found it unexpectedly fun.

The cinematic camera remained in GTA Vice City, which is believed to be one of the best in the series, although a different Rockstar employee revamped it for GTA San Andreas.

One fan even pulled GTA 3’s cinematic train camera from the game files to show what the train would have looked like without Vermeij’s innovation.

Vermeij replied that without the feature, the camera would have been a simple view from about behind the train carriage, “so you looked at the roof and couldn’t see the player.”

Moreover, the developer also confirmed the details of a December leak that showed Rockstar’s early plans for an online mode in GTA 3.

The leak contained documents about how to create characters, how to do online missions, and how players progress in this world.

Vermeij said he had built a basic deathmatch mode in which players earned points by defeating each other. However, the online mode required much more extensive development.

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