5 Facts About GTA5

5. GTA 5 Was Once The Most Expensive Game Ever

If there was ever proof that sometimes it's worth spending money in order to make money, then it's GTA 5. Fresh off the massive success of Rockstar Games' other titles like Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3, Rockstar was apparently willing to invest heavily to make the newest entry in its biggest franchise a success. It ultimately paid off with GTA 5 becoming one of Rockstars' best games.
At $265 million dollars, GTA 5's combined budget became the biggest of any video game in history at the time of its release in 2013 (via IBT). Whilst that figure has since been beaten by the likes of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Cyberpunk 2077, it highlights the sheer scale of production the game was working with and shows how the developers were able to craft such an expansive and polished experience. Given how quickly its sales dwarfed its budget, the investment evidently paid off.

4. Franklin's Actor In GTA 5 Is The Cousin Of C.J.'s Actor

In a twist that almost implies that playing a GTA protagonist is something that runs in the family, it emerged in interviews in 2013 that Shawn Fonteno, who voiced Franklin in GTA 5, is actually the cousin of Young Maylay (via IGN). The reason that's a massive coincidence is that Young Maylay, real name Christopher Bellard, played the protagonist C.J. in the fan-favorite title GTA: San Andreas.

Despite the games being nearly a decade apart, the coincidences don't end there. Both GTA 5 and GTA: San Andreas feature the fictional city of Los Santos, the only games in the franchise to use the location, and both Maylay and Fonteno are rappers as well as actors in real life. Given their connections, it's almost a shame that there hasn't been a cross-over between the two characters in-game.

3. GTA 5 Is Bigger Than Several Other Rockstar Games Combined

Anyone who's played Grand Theft Auto 5 knows the in-game map is huge, and the ambition that went into creating Los Santos is a big reason why it's one of the best open-world shooter games ever made. However, the sheer scale of its ambition is hammered home with the revelation that its map is bigger than GTA 4, GTA: San Andreas, and Red Dead Redemption combined (via Game Informer).

What makes this fact particularly striking is that none of those titles ever feels small when playing. Released just three years earlier, Red Dead Redemption was one of Rockstar Games' most ambitious titles yet, and so the fact it could be stitched together with two other GTA titles and would still be dwarfed by GTA 5 is mind-boggling. It's a reminder of how GTA 5 set a new standard for open worlds in terms of scale

2. Ned Luke Was Semi-Retired Just Like Michael

Every GTA 5 player is familiar with the iconic character of Michael De Santa, but something only die-hard Grand Theft Auto fans are likely to know is the unique connection actor Ned Luke had with the character. Having only just gotten back into acting work after taking a break for several years to focus on being a father, Luke considered himself a semi-retired actor just like Michael was a semi-retired criminal (via TheGamer).

Despite the obvious links and the fact that the casting call for GTA 5 coincided perfectly with his return to the acting world, it almost didn't happen as Luke simply wasn't looking for video game work. A look at the audition materials immediately changed that for Luke, and it's clear that he felt as passionately about the character as fans now do. It's possible his surprising connection to Michael is a part of how he portrayed him in such a grounded way.

1. Franklin's Actor Wasn't Originally Meant To Play Him

Given how perfect Shawn Fonteno ended up being for the role of Franklin, it's hard to believe he came close to missing out on a lead role in one of the best games of all time. Originally, however, Fonteno was never meant to play such a big role in GTA 5 and was actually tasked with finding another suitable actor and preparing them to play the role (via USA Today).

Given his closeness to the role and his own background in South Los Angeles, it makes sense that Fonteno was uniquely suited to play Franklin himself and that's exactly what ended up happening. With a decade of hindsight, it only makes it stranger to imagine how easily someone else might have ended up playing the iconic protagonist instead of Fonteno.