Grand Theft Auto 3 development was chaotic, says Rockstar veteran Obbe Vermeij

Rockstar Games veteran Obbe Vermeij says Grand Theft Auto 3 was in a poor state for most of its development. Vermeij states that performance issues plagued the project, featuring constant software crashes, poor rendering speeds, and gaps in the environment. He says the frame rate appeared to be heading toward 20 FPS, but the team managed to reach 30 FPS during the final six months of development.

The project began as a small effort by Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut while the rest of the team worked on a canceled isometric game set in Miami. Vermeij explains that the team built every asset and line of code anew without carrying over older material. Furthermore, a mere pair of staff members contributed to both sequels.

Vermeij notes that the opening plot involving Catalina and Claude was added late in the process. He also says the team's E3 showing in May 2001 was disappointing due to a lack of interest and concerns regarding violence. Grand Theft Auto 3 was released on October 22, 2001.