Grove Street Games Unfollows Rockstar Games Amidst Trilogy Controversy
Does this mean that the studio will rebrand to exclude the iconic "Grove Street" name?
Grove Street Games, the studio behind the controversial Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, has surprisingly become the first of the two companies to unfollow Rockstar Games on X (formerly known as Twitter).
This move comes after Rockstar Games' decision to remove the name Grove Street Games from the opening credits of said trilogy, which initially fueled a series of debates and speculations about the nature of the ties between both companies.
When the Definitive Edition launched in 2021, it came with heavy criticism due to the plethora of technical issues and controversial design choices. Since release, Rockstar Games has been updating and patching the game to better it, but that initial wave of backlash left a seemingly permanent mark.
Between the GTA Trilogy and other projects such as the console port of Ark: Survival Ascended (which also happened to have mixed reviews), Grove Street Games has been busy while burning the candle at both ends. Recent actions from the studio make it seem like raw feelings might have existed between Grove Street Games and Rockstar Games through the controversy surrounding the Definitive Edition.
Some fans took the side of Grove Street Games, referring to problems the developer had to go through to finally develop the Definitive Edition. Others, however, took to criticizing the studio's attitude toward the project and, consequently, their capability to deliver good games.
"Why is the gaming community okay with removing hundreds of developers from the credits of their product, I'm very confused," tweeted one user in support of Grove Street Games. Or, you know, in support of not retroactively erasing the work of countless professionals in the industry regardless of outcome.
Meanwhile, some have criticized Grove Street Games for what is perceived as not caring. "The level of casual unprofessionalism this company displays on a consistent basis is so funny," another user said. "Now they should rebrand themselves since they don't deserve to be called as the legendary street."
You might be thinking that Grove Street Games only works with Rockstar Games, due to the name "Grove Street"-after all, that's pretty iconic. However, the truth is Grove Street Games is an independent studio that has worked on a number of different projects.
It remains to be seen how this will influence the future of both studios and their respective projects. Perhaps it is not too early to assume that Grove Street Games may not be working with Rockstar Games in the near future and may even end up rebranding to exclude "Grove Street." - Yes, they've done that in the past as well.
