It’s 2025, and we all know the biggest highlight the video game industry is anticipating: GTA 6. Typically, when we’re so close to the release of such a highly anticipated game, the discussion shouldn’t focus on other titles. However, times are changing, and user-generated content and live service platforms are far more prominent than they once were. Enter Project ROME, a supposedly ambitious project by Rockstar Games that will be intertwined with GTA 6 and change Grand Theft Auto forever.
The Potential of GTA 6 Online’s Metaverse
GTA 6 is on the horizon, with its online mode ready for players, and the potential for UGC is off the charts. Imagine the sprawling, hyper-realistic world of Vice City, but with tools to build anything. Think Roblox-level creation meets GTA’s gritty realism. Picture a top Roblox designer bringing their hit game into new Vice City, or a Fortnite builder creating a battle royale with GTA 6’s physics and weapons or vehicles. That’s the kind of cross-platform mayhem I’m dreaming of.
Given what we hear from the leaks, Rockstar’s new project ROME aims to make GTA 6 the next big metaverse. ROME means Rockstar Online Modding Engine. While the company behind GTA already acquired FiveM earlier, they may be developing a full system where any creator can mod GTA 6 by using files from it directly. This can transform it into a platform not just a game, allowing players to create their own experiences.
The leaks also suggest that Rockstar might introduce a season system to GTA Online. This means we might see new map changes, gun introductions, and more with seasonal updates in GTA 6. Just like Fortnite? While these are just speculations, Rockstar Games talking to Roblox and Fortnite creators brings me a lot of hope.
Economic Implications and Opportunities
However, given how fragile the video games industry can be, how would the GTA 6 Online metaverse work financially? Forget just stealing cars; we could be building empires. Like Roblox’s, a revenue-sharing model would lure top creators, turning GTA 6 Online into a creative goldmine. More player-made content means more reasons to stay in the game, more in-game purchases, and a longer life for our beloved virtual world.
Roblox’s developers earned over $701 million in the year’s first nine months, and Fortnite Creative has seen remarkable expansion. Epic Games distributed $320 million to its creators within a year, with over 50 individuals achieving millionaire status. Notably, Pandvil, the top earner, amassed $20.4 million. This only means that the UGC market is open for money, and Grand Theft Auto 6 could make a huge metaverse platform of its own.
Challenges and Considerations of GTA 6 Online
Of course, with great power comes great responsibility. We’ve seen the issues with moderation on other platforms. Keeping things safe and fun is crucial. And balancing creative freedom with the core GTA experience? That’s going to be a walk on a tightrope. We need tools that let us build wild stuff without breaking the game.
User-Generated Content’s Influence on Gaming
As we discuss the GTA 6 metaverse, we must also consider the rise of UGC in Online video games. Roblox pioneered UGC, that sandbox of infinite possibilities, letting anyone whip up their own games. The numbers don’t lie: over 250 million monthly users, a tidal wave of creativity that translates to serious in-game cash. Beyond just numbers, the platform hosts thousands of top-tier experiences such as One-Piece-inspired Blox Fruits or Blue Lock-inspired Blue Lock Rivals.
Fortnite, not one to be outdone, dropped Creative mode and then the Unreal Editor, turning island building into a full-blown architect’s dream. From LEGO to Spongebob, from Godzilla’s Monsterverse to Miku, Fortnite is now becoming a place where you can meet all your favorite characters (and play as them also). Seeing 70,000 users crafting designs in 2024, compared to 24,000 the year before? That’s a growth spurt that’d make a souped-up Banshee blush.
GTA’s Legacy of Player-Driven Content
But don’t take Grand Theft Auto lightly in terms of UGC. As a long-time Los Santos resident, I know GTA’s always been about player freedom. But the RP scene? That’s where things got truly next-level. Plenty of creators have been fueling the RP scene of Grand Theft Auto. There is already a list of the best GTA 5 RP servers running a fresh experience for GTA 5 players.
Even from a handful of creative access, the RP servers and its creators have made gold out of Grand Theft Auto Online. From shady back-alley deals to full-blown digital Shakespeare, like the “Grand Theft Hamlet” documentary winning at SXSW, these communities have proven we’re not just about causing chaos—we’re storytellers. And perhaps, beyond one universe.
GTA 6 Online has the chance to be more than just a game; it could be the ultimate metaverse. Rockstar could create something truly legendary by embracing UGC and bringing in talent from Roblox and Fortnite. As someone who’s spent countless hours cruising Los Santos, I’m ready to see what the next generation of players builds in Vice City and beyond.
That said, what do you think about GTA 6 coming with its own metaverse? Let us know in the comments below!
