GTA 4 actor gives controversial theory for lack of remaster he would 'love' to see

Grand Theft Auto VI is the next hot game being brought to fans by the legendary Rockstar Games, but amid all the trials and tribulations of modern gaming we think there’s a large majority of gamers out there who’d rather go back to the past.

This is accomplished through both remakes and remasters, yet despite all of its award-winning games, Rockstar is seemingly reluctant to modernise them for a new audience.

One such game is Grand Theft Auto IV, and the game’s lead actor Jason Zumwalt has a theory on why that is.

GTA 4 Roman Bellic actor wants a remaster, but speculates on why Rockstar doesn’t

In an interview with Love It Film, Jason Zumwalt, who played the role of Niko’s infamous cousin Roman Bellic, spoke about the fourth mainline instalment in the Grand Theft Auto series.

When asked for his opinion on a remaster, Zumwalt said: “I’d love it. I don’t know why they haven’t done it” adding that in his opinion GTA IV features the best story out of any game in the series.

He continued: “I don’t why [Rockstar Games] hasn’t done it yet. Maybe it has something to do with those SAG contracts, maybe opening up that can of worms is something they’re just not willing to do.”

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In 2023 the SAG-AFTRA strikes took place, with hundreds of actors from around the world campaigning for better rights and pay in creative spaces.

Due to the strikes many contracts will have been renegotiated, and some projects even got complete reworks due to the delays in production the strikes caused. A popular example is the Marvel TV series Daredevil: Born Again, which saw production halted before eventually having scenes reshot with a brand-new identity.

Whether the strikes actually impacted Rockstar Games’ opinion on remasters and remakes is unknown, and we’ll likely never get an answer to that question.

That still doesn’t mean games like GTA IV should be wasting away with last-gen ports. Currently the game is still playable on PC, but the PC port is notoriously bad to the point where several fans have created mods to fix the game.

Alternatively you can play the game on Xbox Series X/S consoles through backwards compatibility, or you can grab yourself an actual Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 and play it that way instead. That’s starting to look like your best option given the direction modern gaming is going in.

Looking to the future, though, Rockstar Games aims to launch GTA VI in November for Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5.

Then work should begin on the next iteration of GTA: Online, along with a PC port of the new game.

After that, Rockstar Games might finally have time to look back through its repertoire and consider the possibility of remasters or remakes. Hell, it might even go down the route of Call of Duty and make a port of GTA IV to the PlayStation 5 a big deal.

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