Original Grand Theft Auto Was Open-World Because Devs ‘Didn’t Want to Have to Build a Front End’

DMA Design developers said at a Grand Theft Auto Origins panel at the Scottish Game Developers Association's Games Day 2026 that the original game was initially linear, with players choosing missions from a menu. Lead programmer Keith Hamilton said the open world arose because the team didn't want to build a front end, and the mission list was replaced with telephones that could be answered in any order, inspired by Die Hard with a Vengeance. The panel also covered radio stations, police radio codes and working traffic lights.