Genres Rockstar Games Should Explore

Highlights

• Rockstar Games should consider exploring different genres, such as point-and-click adventure or puzzle games, to add variety to their portfolio.
• The studio’s knack for storytelling and humor would fit well in adventure games and first-person shooters, as seen in games like Grim Fandango and The Darkness.
• Rockstar Games’ expertise in creating living worlds and customizable experiences, as demonstrated in GTA Online, could be expanded on in the MMO genre, drawing inspiration from games like Final Fantasy 14.

Rockstar Games has been at it since 1998, with their bread and butter being the Grand Theft Auto series. That steadfast commitment to the franchise has shown to be beneficial, as most GTA games since 3 have done extremely well both critically and commercially. They’ve also been some of the most lucrative. In fact, Grand Theft Auto 5 is one of the best-selling games of all time.

It hasn’t always been about open worlds for Rockstar Games, though, having developed games like Midnight Club or Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis. Unfortunately, because of GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2′s success, further exploration of genres by the studio will probably continue to fall by the wayside. But a gamer can dream, right?

Point-And-Click Adventure

A Genre Hyper-Focused On Story Telling

Games To Take Inspiration From:

• Grim Fandango
• Tales From The Borderlands
• Twelve Minutes

Rockstar’s penchant for exploring heavy themes in their games is one that would fit well in an adventure game, a genre that incorporates many unique story beats and reveals because any big gameplay constraints don’t hold it back. A game like Twelve Minutes is an example of one that is full of twists and turns within its short but sweet runtime, something that would be a welcome change of pace to Rockstar’s often lengthy narratives.

Those narratives are typically peppered with a lot of ridiculous humor that is used to emphasize their rough, satirical worlds. In that vein, Rockstar modeling a point-and-click after the ways that games like Grim Fandango or Tales From The Borderlands use humor to color their respective gritty worlds is a recipe for success.

First-Person Shooter

A Simple Shift In Perspective Can Go A Long Way

Games To Take Inspiration From:

• The Darkness
• Borderlands
• Far Cry 3

Rockstar Games have dipped a toe into the FPS genre before with optional camera modes for Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto 5, but to have a fully-fledged FPS game from Rockstar would certainly be something special. Whether it’s within the GTA universe, or an entirely new one, a focused first-person shooter with the genre’s tried and true gameplay elements and themes would be a great fit for the Midnight Club developer.

After all, games like The Darkness (a game about a possessed hitman) have proven that out-of-the-box premises can fit inside the gaming staple of the FPS. The studio is also well-versed in creating living worlds for players to explore, so taking inspiration from games like Far Cry 3 and Borderlands would make a lot of sense. This is especially true as they are two of the most influential shooters in their given niche, each with a focus on comedy.

Platformer

Another Genre That Mixes Well With Comedy

Games To Take Inspiration From:

• Jak 2
• Conker’s Bad Fur Day
• Psychonauts

Adult themes and homage-heavy story beats are par for the course in a Rockstar game, so it might be good to look toward 2001’s Conker’s Bad Fur Day for guidance on how to bring those characteristics into the platformer space. It’s a game that doesn’t take itself seriously in the slightest but offers solid 3D platforming gameplay with a mature, edgy flair.

Then there’s Jak 2, which already took inspiration from GTA, shown in the game’s vehicle thievery and seedy side characters, meaning that incorporating this game’s excellent platforming into a Rockstar game would be a great full-circle moment. This combined with an original premise like the one seen in Psychonauts, where every aspect of it colors the others, would make for an amazing take on the platform genre.

MMO

Lean Into What The Fans Are Clearly Clamoring For

Games To Take Inspiration From:

• Final Fantasy 14
• Secret World Legends
• Second Life

GTA Online has been a majorly successful venture, due mostly to its extremely customizable nature. In particular, the game allowed the creation of RP servers where players can take up various jobs like policing or taxi driving. It’s really not unlike an MMO like Final Fantasy 14 that lets players take up a job class or even own a home. While this idea was not created by Rockstar, it’s something that could be officially incorporated and expanded on in an MMO.

Rockstar also knows how to create a cast of characters within a world that everyday people don’t see every day. A game like Secret World Legends is an example of this in the MMO space, as players create a character within one of three secret societies to battle the occult. Whether Rockstar sticks to what they’re used to in the GTA universe or creates a whole new one, it’s safe to say that they would be free to go wild in developing a living world.

Puzzle

A Type Of Game That Would Fit Surprisingly Well

Games To Take Inspiration From:

• Trine
• Portal Series
• Papers, Please

A puzzle game is probably the most out-of-left field suggestion for a Rockstar game, but one that makes a lot of sense, simply because the genre has an impressive amount of variety. Trine, for instance, is a more action-oriented game, with an emphasis on environmental puzzles. While Papers, Please is a game where players have to sort through documents to decide who can gain entry into a country.

However, it’s the Portal series that should be one of the main sources of inspiration. Both Rockstar and Valve already share the perfectionist DNA that makes their respective games so great, as well as their skill in creating some fascinating antagonists in Dutch and GLaDOS. What the Portal games do so well, though, is blur the line between gameplay and story to deliver a gripping experience. If Rockstar has it in them to emulate this, all that’s left is to find their groove and slot themselves in.