One former GTA 6 guru has discussed the challenge facing Rockstar Games when it comes to the upcoming title, claiming that players just don't tend to explore open worlds all that muchTech11:23, 27 Mar 2025Updated 11:25, 27 Mar 2025GTA 6 may be the most anticipated game of all timeGrand Theft Auto 6 is tipped to arrive in 2025, but the only people who seem to be talking about the upcoming epic are those that have left Rockstar.While former animator Mike York has suggested the developers will enjoy watching fan theories while the studio maintains its radio silence, other publishers are trying to avoid GTA 6's "blast zone".Article continues belowNow, another former Rockstar developer who worked on GTA 6 and Red Dead Redemption has opened up on the challenges facing the studio when it comes to developing its latest entry in a series that began in 1997.When will we get our next glimpse at GTA 6?(Image: Still)As Cameron Williams, former game designer on GTA 6 and Red Dead Redemption 2 told a panel at GDC last week (thanks, PCGamer), "players don't explore".That was the first bullet point on a slide titled "Common Open World Problems", and Williams gave his rationale."Players just don't explore right?" he explained."Whether that's because you have a super action-oriented game or because they just simply aren't compelled.""Or, [your game has] a huge time investment and it's hard for players to pick up and put down, which is an increasing challenge, especially with the sort of evolving ecosystem of free-to-play and live service games that are kind of eating everyone's time and attention."GTA 5 never felt 'small'(Image: Rockstar Games)Williams, who now works as a senior mission designer at Absurd Ventures (a studio set up by Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser) said that malaise among players can manifest as "open world fatigue", where players are less likely to want to go and seek out adventure."They're wondering, 'Okay, how far away is the next thing? I really gotta run all the way across the map? And what's my gain?'" he added.Williams also touched on "analysis paralysis", citing studies where people given too many choices are often likely not to make any highlighting why it's important to highlight specific areas of a map but not too many."We want to avoid creating a possibility space so large that players simply just don't know what to choose," Williams explained.He also pointed to having certain side objectives introduced via main story missions, like fishing in Red Dead Redemption 2.So, what could this mean for GTA 6? Well, it certainly suggests Rockstar's map might need to be more easily readable for a wider variety of players, as well as potentially introducing content via the initial campaign to get players onside and ready to engage with it.Article continues belowGiven fans have predicted Vice City and its surrounding areas could be absolutely massive, perhaps this all means expectations need to be kept in check if players don't explore, maybe a colossal map isn't going to benefit everyone.For more on GTA 6, check out why the Xbox may get a big boost from its launch, as well as everything we know about the game so far.For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.