A lucky Xbox fan was shocked to discover that a used Xbox 360 they recently purchased turned out to be a development kit used by Rockstar Games for GTA 4. The studio, originally based out of New York City, has grown into one of the most iconic studios in gaming since its founding in 1998, known worldwide for franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. Rockstar has expanded globally since its early days, with studios all around the world handling the many different properties under the Rockstar umbrella. However, some branches of the company have become particularly loved by fans.
Among Rockstar Games’ many subsidiaries, Rockstar North is easily one of the most recognizable for fans. The Edinburgh-based development studio is typically the lead studio for new Grand Theft Auto games, acting as the sole studio behind most of the franchise’s main-series entries. Rockstar North also often assists with the development of side games, teaming up with Rockstar San Diego on the original Red Dead Redemption and Rockstar Leeds on GTA spin-offs. Now, one fan has unexpectedly stumbled on a piece of Rockstar North history at a recent car boot sale.
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A Lucky Fan’s Used Xbox 360 Came With a Rockstar Devkit
GTA fan Janmatant shared their unlikely story on GTAForums, an online community dedicated to the franchise. The user claimed that they bought the console used from a car boot sale in the United Kingdom, only paying 5 GBP for the console. The console still featured the original Rockstar stamp on the hard drive and came packed with a beta build of Grand Theft Auto 4. The beta version included several features cut from the game’s full release, including different GTA radio stations with songs later cut from the final game, a removed zombie mini-game, and even a model for the ferry from GTA 4‘s first trailer.
The stunning discovery also came with the revelation of what the GTA fan plans to do with the devkit. The GTAForums user confirmed that they intend to resell the console, already having some hardcore fans offer a staggering 800 GBP to own the Rockstar development kit. The user shared some images from the console beyond the GTA beta files, including a look at the Xshell launcher, only used in Xbox 360 devkits. The beta build for Grand Theft Auto 4 included within the development kit even gives an idea of the timeframe of the build, with fans discovering an executable file in the GTA 4 build dating back to September 2007, roughly seven months before release.
The incredible GTA 4 find saw plenty of interest from fans in the cut content included in the game. The beta build included multiple songs that were not featured in the final version of the game, including music from Run DMC, Daddy Yankee, and The Who, among others. The zombie mini-game was also a major discovery for fans, with the mini-game likely cut far in advance of the game’s release. The game mode could have potentially served as an inspiration for another future Rockstar game, with Red Dead Redemption receiving a full zombie DLC in Undead Nightmare.
The piece of Rockstar Games history surfaced as the studio is gearing up for one of its biggest releases ever. Grand Theft Auto 6 is currently scheduled to officially launch on November 19, after being delayed multiple times since its official reveal in 2023. GTA 6 will bring fans back to tropical Vice City for the first time since 2006’s Vice City Stories, with the game standing as one of the most highly anticipated new releases in gaming. GTA 6 is primed to be another landmark release for Rockstar, offering fans a next-gen Grand Theft Auto experience.
- Released
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April 29, 2008
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
