Who is Obbe Vermeji? Former Rockstar developer thinks GTA 6 might be ‘disappointing’

Who is Obbe Vermeji? Former Rockstar developer thinks GTA 6 might be 'disappointing'

From 1995 to 2009, Obbe Vermeij oversaw technical operations at Rockstar North. He recently suggested not to have high hopes with GTA 6.

As a designer and coder, Vermeij started at Rockstar North, formerly known as DMA Design, in 1995. He started off as a programmer for the video game Space Station Silicon Valley.

Alongside Adam Fowler, he was first recognized as a technical director in Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001. Later, he was given credit for this position in 6 different titles:

  1. Grand Theft Auto IV
  2. The Lost and Damned
  3. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
  4. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
  5. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
  6. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

After GTA IV’s release, Vermeij felt the series and company had grown too big for him, and he was no longer enjoying his minor roles. As a result, he departed Rockstar North in June 2009.

Vermeij began writing a blog on November 10, 2023, detailing his experiences working at Rockstar North and sharing different development anecdotes from the company. According to one of these reports, Rockstar was formerly developing Grand Theft Auto 2.5, a GTA 2 successor.

Vermeij frequently narrates stories from his time at Rockstar on X for his blog followers, detailing his contributions to the creation of past Grand Theft Auto games.

His writings frequently include various game development topics, including gameplay mechanics, technical details, release milestones, accomplishments, and general studio life.

Fans of the Grand Theft Auto series frequently interact with his postings by asking questions and leaving comments. Several of his most popular postings explain well-known series bugs, such as the growing Moon, sporadic jet crashes, and vanishment of highways.

GTA 6 might be a disappointment

Ex-Rockstar employee says GTA 6 might be a disappointment

Obbe Vermeij has been talking about the game and cautioning fans not to have high expectations. He stated that some people might be disappointed by the game in an interview with SanInPlay that GamesRadar published.

“I don’t think it’s going to be wildly different from GTA 5, I think maybe people might be a little disappointed on the first day,” he said. “But it’s still gonna be the best game out there. I love the Miami vibe … suits GTA very well.”

It is said that Vermeij emphasized he had “no insider information” and said he was “blown away” by each character’s unique animation in the trailer’s beach sequence.