At the time of this article’s publication, the trailer has 25,000 dislikes to 14,000 likes. In contrast, every other trailer featured in the showcase has a positive like to dislike ratio. The feeling among some within the GTA community is the trailer is underwhelming. Some have compared the footage shown to existing PC gameplay, arguing little has changed. The stated upgrades, including seamless character switching, “enhanced gameplay” and “improved graphics” are seen as vague. One Reddit user posted footage of Grand Theft Auto 5 footage running on an Xbox Series S via backwards compatibility, with near instant character switching. Many are pointing to how little visually appears to have been improved, while others point to how poorly edited the trailer is (it doesn’t help that the PlayStation Showcase was only broadcast at 1080p). Indeed, one Reddit user made a parody video of the trailer. Clearly, the trailer released yesterday failed to meet the expectations of fans. No doubt the pandemic and changes in working practices have negatively impacted the remaster’s development, as it has affected the entire industry. It is understandable then that the game has been delayed until next year for “polishing and fine-tuning”, in the words of Rockstar. But it was perhaps unwise to then release a trailer that doesn’t show the game in the best possible light.
