According to a report from Dazed, Rockstar Games has more than doubled in size since releasing Red Dead Redemption 2 as it works on Grand Theft Auto 6. The outlet spoke with several Rockstar leaders about the making of the game and found that the studio's global network of offices now includes a Los Angeles branch dedicated almost solely to pedestrian NPCs in GTA 6.
The report also notes that Rockstar has brought in specialist staff for the project, including professional drivers and street artists who were consulted for the game's cars and murals. Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson said the studio looks back at its previous games with a critical eye to see where it wants to evolve, based on what didn't work as well as intended due to time, resources, technological limits, or oversight. He added that much of the studio's process is iterative, with adjustments made by feel based on what is and isn't working.
Red Dead Redemption 2, released in 2018, is still widely regarded as Rockstar's most ambitious game, combining scope and attention to detail that only a company of Rockstar's size could attempt, even though GTA 5 and GTA Online remain its biggest commercial successes. Thousands of developers have reportedly contributed to GTA 6 in some form, with the game's development budget—primarily wages—estimated to exceed $1 billion. The scale of the Los Angeles office alone is described as illustrative of this growth, with entire sizable studios elsewhere having fewer people than individual departments working on GTA 6.
Separately, Rockstar recently acknowledged the string of leaks that preceded the game's Netflix reveal trailer, stating that development has taken longer than the studio wanted but that it remains determined to deliver at the level fans expect and deserve.