New Delhi, Dec. 26 -- The Grand Theft Auto series almost took players far beyond the United States, according to former Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij. In a recent interview with Gameshub published earlier this week, Vermeij revealed that Rockstar once explored the idea of setting future GTA titles in international locations such as Rio de Janeiro, Moscow and Istanbul.

One project even progressed further than the rest. A version of GTA: Tokyo was reportedly in development, with plans for a Japanese studio to build the game using Rockstar's internal technology. Ultimately, however, the project was shelved before it could move beyond early planning.

Vermeij explained that while the creative ambition was there, commercial r...