What happened to GTA: Tokyo, Bogotá and Sin City? Remembering the Grand Theft Auto games that never saw the light of day. Even though Take-Two registered these names in 2003, Rockstar never even brought them to the conceptual stage.

One of the defining features of the Grand Theft Auto series is that its stories, open worlds and biting satire always revolve around the United States. In fact, Rockstar has never taken its flagship franchise outside the US – whether it’s Los Santos (Los Angeles, GTA: San Andreas), Vice City (Miami, GTA: Vice City), or the future vision of Florida in GTA VI, the Take-Two subsidiary has always delivered award-winning experiences without moving its gameplay mechanics to another continent. While fans have grown to accept this, many have wondered: what would a GTA set in Latin America, Europe, or Asia be like?

For those curious about the answer, Rockstar once teased concepts – even if only as working titles – that suggested the company was interested in expanding the GTA experience worldwide. These legendary but ultimately nominal projects were GTA: Tokyo, GTA: Bogotá and GTA: Sin City. When these names appeared on social media, the idea of a GTA beyond US borders fired up the community’s imagination. But what happened? The answer: essentially nothing. All signs point to these supposed entries remaining little more than fleeting ideas.

Illusions Born from Trademark Filings

Long before the brilliant GTA: San Andreas, in 2003, Take-Two registered about ten trademarks for its flagship game franchise, sparking excitement among fans. As mentioned, the conglomerate’s filings hinted at potential adventures taking players to the capitals of Japan and Colombia. Sin City seemed to suggest Las Vegas.

“Tokyo seemed like a cool, interesting city to make a video game in, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the logistics.” (former Rockstar developer)

Many years have passed since those filings, and there’s been no sign of a Grand Theft Auto game set in Tokyo, Bogotá or Las Vegas. Time Extension reached out to a former Rockstar developer to get insight into these and other canceled franchise projects. Apparently, GTA: Tokyo was the likeliest contender. “It was one of the cities being considered at the time. Sam [Houser, Rockstar co-founder] had been quite drawn to the Tokyo scene. He had just released GTA 3 at the time, and they were traveling to Tokyo a lot to promote the game.”

“It seemed like a cool, interesting city to do [a video game] in, but at the end of the day, it’s all about the logistics,” the source added. “Getting the research team there long enough to map out the city and make the cultural satire work narratively and appropriately… It was a stretch, and we thought it was better to stick with the cities we featured in Grand Theft Auto 1.” That’s how GTA: Tokyo died before it really got off the ground.

Ideas from an Era When “the Internet Was a Different Place”

If GTA: Tokyo – considered Rockstar’s most plausible non-US project – quietly faded, GTA: Bogotá and GTA: Sin City got even less attention. There was never any real intent to explore Colombia or “Sin City” (which would have still been in the US). Registering these trademarks was simply a precautionary move.

That’s according to the ex-Rockstar developer interviewed by Time Extension. “Back then, the internet was a different place. Like domains, we filed [trademarks] just to keep squatters away. You didn’t want to be held hostage. And, as we considered which cities to do, we’d sometimes file a trademark with a different understanding of how the internet worked than it does today,” the source explained.

In short, the registration of GTA: Bogotá and GTA: Sin City was just to ensure Rockstar wouldn’t face legal hurdles if they ever wanted to take the series there. In any case, the franchise’s founders don’t seem interested in moving the action outside the US – though the mere mention of these ideas still excites fans, showing there’s plenty of appetite for something new.

Source: 3djuegos