GTA Online could be in store for a massive leap forward with the release of GTA 6 as a newly filed patent from Take-Two Interactive hints at a “seamless” online experience without any “unnecessary loading.”
GTA Online continues to dominate the gaming landscape almost a full decade removed from its release as part of GTA 5.
Having now sold over 160 million units, helping push Rockstar parent company Take-Two’s earnings north of $866 million in the latest quarter, it’s clear the multiplayer juggernaut isn’t going away anytime soon.
With the next chapter in the renowned open-world franchise now official, it’s only a matter of time until we see how GTA 6 evolves the formula.
While details remain scarce, a new patent direct from the source may have just teased one big step for GTA Online as it moves forward with the upcoming sequel.
Although it’s nothing more than words on paper for now, Take-Two appears to be developing an innovative lobby system for its multiplayer games: one that could be adopted for GTA Online.
Following up from an original patent filed back in 2017, Take-Two established a new filing on November 5, 2021. It has since been published on February 24, 2022.
This patent intends to push the online gaming experience forward in one key way: through new “methods for session management.”
A new system developed by the publishing giant “allows for seamless merging and splitting of network sessions in a multiplayer gaming environment.”
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While this is a mouthful, in essence, it aims to provide a less obstructive online game, one that can avoid “unnecessary loading and/or stalling.”
Say, for example, you’re driving through the streets of Los Santos in GTA Online. If you decide to jump into a race activity, this requires you to sift through a handful of menus and various loading screens before hitting the gas.
If these new innovations can be applied as Take-Two hopes, that could all be left in the rearview mirror.
With such a “seamless online gaming environment,” players could theoretically jump in and out of various events without wasting any time. No loading screens, no waiting for others to catch up — just one smoothly flowing experience the whole way through.
At least, that’s how it could work on paper.
For the time being, it’s nothing more than a concept Take-Two now has under lock and key. For all we know, it may take years before it ever sees the light of day.
Furthermore, there’s no telling if this innovative system will apply to GTA Online specifically. After all, this technology could be implemented across any Take-Two property. Given GTA’s immense success and the ever-growing Online community, it would make perfect sense for devs to apply these systems in GTA 6.
A truly seamless multiplayer experience could be just one of many ways the GTA franchise is set to evolve with the highly anticipated sequel.