ExtremeTech - Rockstar Apologizes for GTA Definitive Trilogy Launch, Will Make Classic Games Available Again
 
“Gamers the world over have been waiting with bated breath for the release of Rockstar’s GTA Trilogy, and maybe it wasn’t worth the wait. The launch last week was an unmitigated disaster, with gamers complaining of bugs and ugly graphics until Rockstar’s authentication system broke, making the games impossible to play. Rockstar has now apologized for the mess and confirmed a bug-fixing patch is incoming. By way of contrition, Rockstar will also make the original versions of the games available once again.
 
The official name of the revamped games is ‘Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition,’ and it includes three iconic titles: GTA3, GTA: Vice City, and GTA: San Andreas. These games launched between 2001 and 2004, setting the standard for open-world gameplay. When modernizing the games for 2021, Rockstar opted to go with a simplified cartoon style. Most fans have expressed disappointment that Rockstart didn’t go further and make the games more detailed. Along the way, developers also introduced a number of glaring bugs that weren’t in the original versions.
 
In its apology, Rockstart admits that the Trilogy has technical problems and doesn’t meet the studio’s standards. Apologies are all well and good, but they don’t make busted games work correctly. To that end, Rockstar says it is working on a bug-squashing update that will roll out soon. Although, ‘soon’ could mean a lot of things in this context. The authentication issue was rectified last week, but it’s still a trio of broken games after launch.
 
Rockstar also seems willing to admit that removing the classic versions of these games in advance of the Definitive Edition release was a bad idea. So, they’re coming back, sort of. Rockstar says that it will release a new bundle of all three classic games on its website. In addition, anyone who bought The Definitive Edition or buys it through June 30, 2022 will get the classic editions at no extra cost. However, Rockstar has not said whether or not it plans to return the classic versions to other digital storefronts like Steam.
 
If you were on the fence about the GTA Trilogy, you might want to wait and see how this upcoming patch works out. If it can stomp some bugs, then all you have to get past is the questionable visual design. Maybe there will be a better version in another 20 years.”
 
My thoughts:  I have a feeling that no matter what Rockstar does, there are a lot of consumers now that are going to look at anything they do with a healthy dose of skepticism.