Ex-Rockstar Designer Says Midnight Club 5 Was Killed Because It Wasn't GTA

Former Rockstar senior designer Kris Roberts has revealed that Midnight Club 5 was in early development after Midnight Club: Los Angeles shipped — and that Rockstar's own internal politics killed it before it ever got close to release. Roberts spoke to Insider Gaming about the franchise's fate, having worked on the series at Rockstar San Diego.

According to Roberts, the team had already prototyped new locations, including London, before the project was cancelled. He described a "non-trivial conflict" between Rockstar San Diego and the central Rockstar New York office — with New York's attitude essentially boiling down to the racing series not being GTA. "The perception was we never got the accolades or the reception," Roberts said. "The New York perspective was, 'You're not GTA'. When you're the red-headed stepchild project — you know, we're doing a good job, we're world-class, but we're still treated less than. It was challenging." Roberts also noted that while Rockstar New York had legitimate frustrations over missed deadlines on the previous Midnight Club game, the studio still never gave the racing franchise its due. He added that Midnight Club actually kept players more engaged than rivals like Need for Speed and Burnout — but that wasn't enough to save it.

Rockstar San Diego was the studio behind the entire Midnight Club series and also led development on the first Red Dead Redemption. After Midnight Club 5 was cancelled, Roberts says the writing was on the wall for the franchise entirely — remaining staff moved over to Red Dead Redemption or other Rockstar projects. "When they cancelled it, it was pretty clear that there would be no more Midnight Club and everything was going to be GTA and stuff moving forward," he said. That shift reflects a broader pattern fans have been frustrated with for years: since GTA 5 launched in 2013, Rockstar has essentially operated on a two-franchise loop of GTA and Red Dead, leaving dormant series like Bully, LA Noire, and Midnight Club untouched.

Whether any of those franchises ever return is an open question. Rockstar is publishing Max Payne 1 and 2 remakes developed by Remedy, but release dates remain unknown. After GTA 6 launches and inevitably generates enormous revenue, the studio will have the financial freedom to do almost anything — though whether that means revisiting old IP or pushing into new territory is anyone's guess.