While we're all waiting on GTA 6 after the most recent delay – with the new trailer only making things harder for us – rumours of 2008's GTA 4 returning to modern platforms have appeared. Ex-Rockstar Games technical director Obbe Vermeij is among the group of people who want Niko Bellic to return.
Vermeij worked at DMA Design-turned-Rockstar North from 1995 until 2009; during that time he worked on the likes of Space Station Silicon Valley, Manhunt, and some of those GTA games that people seem to like. When asked by a fan on Twitter how he feels about the rumours of the port of what was one of the last games he worked on at Rockstar, he was keen to see it.
"I hadn't heard those rumours. I think GTA 4 should be remastered. It's a great game and there have been a number of successful remasters recently," he responds.
Rockstar is one of the companies which hasn't really gone to the remaster well all that much, with the initially disastrous Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition being the only real attempt. However, when talking about a GTA 4 remaster in the past, Vermeij mentioned the quality of the trilogy, saying: "It would be better if Rockstar did quality remasters of their classic games."
The company typically goes for straight rereleases over updated games, as seen with the previous LA Noire and Red Dead Redemption ports (the latter of which did get a 60fps patch, to be fair). So if and when a GTA 4 re-release does come to pass, I'd put my money on it being a port with minimal improvements over a full remaster situation.
Hopefully it does happen, and we get to go bowling with our cousin again to pass the time until GTA 6 releases next May.
