Jason Schreier: The Making of Grand Theft Auto VI Jason Schreier’s long-teased story details the challenges of GTA VI’s eight-plus years of development and Rockstar’s transformation during production. >Rockstar nearly doubled in size, from 2,441 employees at Red Dead Redemption II’s 2018 release to 4,711 across 12 offices. >The game entered a “dark period” as leadership struggled to settle on its vision amid disagreements over realism, gameplay systems, and design. >Originally codenamed “Project Americas,” it aimed to cover large areas of North and South America before being scaled back to Vice City and surroundings. >The two delays stemmed from challenges with system scale and resources for the detailed world and NPCs. >Rockstar says crunch improved after RDR2 criticism, with measures to cut excessive overtime, though some employees still report it. >Remote work remains restricted to five days a week in office for security reasons; the policy will be revisited after launch. >Unionization is contentious: the article covers the firing of 34 employees amid alleged union-busting. Rockstar cites sharing confidential information; workers dispute this. >Developers say the engine, tools, and technology from GTA VI should help produce future games more quickly.