Should Rockstar Games make an Android or iOS exclusive game like GTA 5 in the future?

As much as "gaming purists" would like to deny it, smartphones and tablets are a legitimate handheld gaming platform now, and franchises like GTA benefit a ton from their existence. Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive haven't exactly kept it a secret that they find Android/iOS platforms to be a great source of revenue as well as opportunity.

As is the case with any major game franchise like GTA, the studio constantly needs to be on its toes to figure out a way forward that makes sense. That usually involves innovating in areas that competitors and contemporaries did not think of.

One particular experiment that Rockstar attempted with the GTA franchise, all the way back in the mid-2000s, was a game exclusive to handheld consoles. Also, games such as GTA Chinatown Wars or even semi-exclusives like Vice City and Liberty City Stories were born.

While they didn't exactly live up to the financial expectations of Rockstar Games, they did garner fan support and relative critical acclaim. However, with the rise of smartphones, the games found a whole new audience and incredible success on Android and iOS platforms.

Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the opinion of the writer.

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Does an Android/iOS exclusive GTA title make sense for Rockstar Games?

The mobile game market eclipses both console and PC

Image via Mobvista

As smartphone technology improves year after year, the modern-day smartphone is perhaps more comparable to a mid-tier PC from the 2000s than ever before. Smartphones can now essentially play console-level AAA games (Fortnite, PUBG, Apex Legends, and more) with ease.

While certain concessions do have to be made when porting over games like GTA San Andreas and Vice City, they are still identical to the version on console and PC. In terms of financial opportunity, the mobile gaming market makes short work of both console and PC.

Recent reports have solidified how monumentally profitable the mobile gaming market really is. While mobile games won't necessarily have the marketing budget or the AAA glitz of console titles, they are just as, if not more, financially viable for studios.

While Rockstar, as a studio, has always looked at the bigger picture beyond the financials, there is an unbelievably large market for them to tap into right now.

Accessibility and a large new audience

The biggest contributing factor to the success of games like GTA on mobile platforms is how incredibly accessible they are compared to consoles or PCs. While the price of a decent PC has come down significantly, it is still a larger sum of cash.

The price of a decent smartphone or tablet that can run games without much issue is significantly lesser. This allows games like the older titles in the GTA franchise to find an audience they perhaps couldn't on the PS Vita or the PlayStation Portable, or Nintendo DS.

A GTA game exclusively designed for handheld platforms stands a great chance of success and provides a creative opportunity for Rockstar Games.

There are plenty of studios under the Rockstar umbrella

Rockstar Games is continuously expanding, often acquiring studios across the world and integrating them into the Rockstar brand. This has allowed the publisher to have studios other than just Rockstar North to work on potentially multiple projects at once.

While predominantly studios collectively work on one large project together, there is a chance that studios other than Rockstar North could take the lead on a mobile game. While that idea may not sound very appealing to long-time GTA fans, it is still a very interesting avenue for Rockstar to explore.