Entertainment · Gaming · 1 hr ago
GTA 3’s famous cover design was created after the September 11 attacks
Grand Theft Auto 3’s cover was redesigned after the September 11 attacks in 2001, according to former Rockstar executive Dan Houser.
The game was due out the following month, and its planned artwork showed burning buildings that no longer felt suitable in the aftermath of the attacks.
Artist Stephen Bliss created the replacement design in about two evenings, using separate illustrated panels that became the franchise’s well-known cover style.
Houser said the team also changed some game content, including recoloring police cars and editing dialogue.
GTA 3 became a major hit, and Houser said its success helped make Rockstar a household name after publisher Take-Two had faced economic difficulty.
The cover style will return in Grand Theft Auto 6, which the source says is due on November 19 for Xbox and PlayStation.
Grand Theft Auto 3’s famous segmented cover was created after the September 11 attacks made the planned artwork seem too offensive to release.
Former Rockstar vice president and lead writer Dan Houser said artist Stephen Bliss created the replacement cover in about two evenings.
The original cover showed burning buildings, while the new design used shards and squares that became iconic.
The game was released in October 2001 and went on to sell steadily through Christmas and into early 2002.
- Who
- Rockstar artist Stephen Bliss created the replacement cover, according to former Rockstar vice president Dan Houser.
- What
- GTA 3’s planned cover was replaced with the segmented design that became famous.
- When
- After the September 11 attacks in 2001, shortly before the game’s October 2001 release.
- Where
- Not stated.
- Why
- The original cover showed burning buildings and was considered too offensive in the aftermath of the attacks.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The terrorist attacks made the planned cover, which showed burning buildings, seem too offensive to release.
Artist Stephen Bliss created the replacement cover art.
Grand Theft Auto 3 was released.
The game continued selling steadily, according to Houser.
- Artist
- Stephen Bliss
- Replacement cover artwork
- Created in about two evenings
- Original cover
- Showed burning buildings
- Game release
- October 2001
- Attacks prompting the change
- September 11, 2001
What people are saying
The cover art that became the iconic GTA cover art; Stephen Bliss did that in about two evenings because the old cover art was probably being too offensive to release after 9/11 because they were burning buildings in it
So that look of the shards, the squares that became very iconic, only appeared because of 9/11.
GTA has become part of the wider cultural fabric.
Sources
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