How Did the September 11 Attacks Change the GTA Game?

Dan Houser revealed that the iconic, multi-part cover design of the Grand Theft Auto series was created in just two nights, in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

According to Ambassador Arjan, quoting Zomit, puzzle and multi-piece images that show characters, cars and views of imaginary cities of the world are the most well-known visual signature in the game industry. The design that appeared on the box of Grand Theft Auto III from 2001 and continued until the latest versions such as GTA 6, is almost linked to the collective memory of gamers around the world. However, the graphic masterpiece in question was originally supposed to have a completely different appearance, and unfortunate historical events changed its course.

In a detailed interview, Dan Hauser, co-founder and former writer of Rockstar, revealed the behind-the-scenes behind the sudden change of the game's original poster. Houser explained that elements designed for the game's initial packaging included burning buildings; A plan that seemed impossible and insulting to publish after the September 11 terrorist attacks on the twin towers of New York. As a result, renowned studio designer Steven Bliss created the game's iconic windowed cover structure in just two nights to transform the visual identity of the entire collection for decades to come.

The pressures on the Rockstar developers went beyond a simple poster change. The parent company Tiktok teetered on the brink of bankruptcy in early 2001, Hauser recalls. The production team prepared their 3D project with difficulty and went to the big E3 event with great enthusiasm, but no one in the theater showed any attention to their creation. The indifference of gamers and the media greatly weakened the morale of the team, although fate decided otherwise.

The 9/11 attacks pushed Grand Theft Auto III's release date back by about three weeks. The delay gave Rockstar a chance to tweak parts of the game that were an unflattering reflection of the real New York. The events of the game took place in Liberty City, which was a fictional version of New York, and it was impossible to represent some themes after the disaster.

Content censorship in the space after September 11

The developers had to make subtle changes to the gameplay and environment design to avoid offending the public. The main changes were as follows:

Changing the color of the game police cars so they don't look like real NYPD patrols.

Modifying the flight path of passenger planes in the sky of the city so that the image of moving directly towards the skyscrapers is not evoked.

Complete removal of one of the story stages due to direct reference to terrorist acts.

Rewriting dialogues and editing parts of characters' voices.

The release of the game in the fall of 2001, in contrast to the silent presentation of E3, became a lasting explosion in the market. Sales without sudden fanfare in a particular week became an amazing non-stop trend from the Christmas holidays of 2001 to early 2002, immortalizing the studio's name.