14 DAY TRIAL // Grand Theft Auto V managed to stay in the news in the final few months of 2014 for all the right reasons, as the development team at Rockstar and publisher Take Two launched the game on the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 and managed to impress the community with its improved graphics, the all new first-person mode and the expanded gameplay delivered for the Online mode.
But a move made early in 2015 might erase some of that goodwill and appreciation and might have a longer term impact for the two companies, and it’s all linked to the way they handled the launch of the PC version of the game.
GTA V also represents the kind of huge title that could also change how other developers and publishers interact with their public.
PC fans were probably resigned to the fact that their version of the title would be launched after the ones linked to the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4.
What they were not prepared for was to be directly lied by the development team at Rockstar, which explained early in the month that there were no plans to delay the launch, which was set to January 27.
This was not a leak or an insider talking but a full-fledged statement from a studio that then switched stances in order to announce this week that Grand Theft Auto V on the PC would be launched on March 24, with the extra time set to allow them to further improve the experience.
Rockstar is mostly respected by gamers, but they have told an outright lie and sought to deceive a huge community of gamers, even if it’s not clear what kind of objective was served by it given that the delay decision was probably made weeks before.
Rockstar needs to assume responsibility and apologize to gamers
The company’s lie might be seen as a necessary evil in the world of video games, which is increasingly dominated by big companies that only offer info on their projects if it serves their bottom line and are not above delivering misinformation if it offers them a long-term advantage.
Even the recent Rockstar announcement was mostly met with a shrug by gamers, who have mostly become accustomed to companies changing launch dates at will.
Humans tend to tolerate lying when it comes to interpersonal relations because a policy of constant truth would make it impossible for society to exist.
But we do punish, even if in an informal manner, those who tell damaging lies and something similar should happen when it comes to video games.
GTA V for PC was supposed to be offered on the platform on January 27 and was pushed back even as Rockstar gave assurances that this would not happen.
Players should react to this by shaming the company on its forums and social media channels and by trying to get the developers to explain the process which led to the move.
It would also be a good plan to try and boycott the launch, at least when it comes to pre-orders, although that’s unlikely to happen given the long wait that PC players have already endured.
In the long run, we need to make it clear that lying, even if it comes from corporations, is not a good idea.
