Grand Theft Auto 4 was somewhat of a departure for the series that always made fun of American culture with a satirical wink, and its increasingly serious tone was actually the reason its technical director left the studio.
Obbe Vermeij, Rockstar Games’ former technical director during GTA 4's development, mused that the series' first 3D trilogy from GTA 3 to San Andreas "were just tons of fun," but that all changed when Niko Bellic landed on Vice City's shores.
"I really enjoyed them," he said in an interview with SanInPlay (good spot RPS). "And then we made [GTA 4], and to my mind, it was a little too serious, too dark, too depressing almost."
Full news: GTA 4 tech lead left Rockstar because he thought the series was getting "too dark, too depressing almost"
