There are a few games that can be classed as forever games. Despite some annoying additions as of late, World of Warcraft is one. Counter-Strike 2, formerly GO, is definitely one. And, at least until GTA 6 launches in November 2026, GTA V is one.
In a chat with FRVR for an upcoming episode of our podcast series, Saints Row designer Chris Stockman explained that GTA is an unbeatable forever brand that no other developer can truly “compete” with. However, that doesn’t mean more GTA-likes is a bad idea.
Speaking on the podcast, Stockman, who has publicly discussed hopes of reviving Saints Row, explains that there’s simply no competing directly with what Grand Theft Auto has become. “You have to be something else,” Stockman told FRVR. “You can’t compete with them anymore. You can’t. It’s impossible. You can’t make a Western game and try to compete with Red Dead.”
“I think it’s entirely possible to be a number two, there’s nothing wrong with trying to be a number two if you play your cards right.”
Chris Stockman on GTA clones in the modern day
Stockman explained that any GTA clone, for lack of a better term, releasing in this day and age needs to “go back to basics” to succeed. “It’s gotta have its own identify back, it’s gotta have its own thing, but you can’t say, ‘I’m going after GTA’. You can’t. Not anymore. It’s impossible.”
The Saints Row designer explained that GTA Online has “propelled it to be beyond just a game”, instead dubbing the game “a lifestyle” instead of a traditional video game. With GTA 6 just over a year away, Stockman doesn’t see Rockstar’s ownership of the genre slipping unless it manages to release a disaster product.
“It’s going to be the biggest game, probably of all time, and I’ll just say this. The only way for someone to really give them a run for their money is if they have a huge misstep. If it comes out and it’s terrible, God forbid the industry, oh my gosh, right? It’s E.T. all over again, but worse because the budgets. It’s going to be a complete disaster. I don’t expect that to happen but, if it is, oh my Lord.”
While there is no touching GTA 6’s inevitable success, that doesn’t mean there’s no reason to try. When the original Saints Row landed in 2006, it filled a whole that GTA itself had left, and did so with its own identify that saw the franchise become the number two in its genre until Volition’s series decided to become something else.
Stockman explained that there’s a lot of worth in being a number two, something a lot of studios are scared of nowadays. “The industry is bigger than its ever been in the sense that people hunger for games,” he said. “People hunger for new experiences. I think it’s entirely possible to be a number two, there’s nothing wrong with trying to be a number two if you play your cards right.
“You don’t go crazy, you be very focused, you don’t look at GTA as a North Star and say, ‘I wanna be that’. You have a clear identity and this is what you’re trying to do. And you don’t have to be a 100 hour masterpiece, and you just gotta be smart about it.”
When asked why so many companies are afraid of having their product sit in the number two spot, Stockman explained that he’s not a “bean counter” guy, but ballooning budgets and massive investments are likely the root cause. “It’s a new era,” he said, “and people need to wake up and realise that you cannot have these hundred-plus million dollar budget games and hope to make any money off of them”.
While fans are already buzzed for a potential return to Saint’s Row, when/if that actually happens, Stockman’s latest game is certainly a smaller affair. Over the past couple of years, Stockman has been working on the free Meta Quest 3 VR game Super RC, which is available right now on the VR platform.
