Creator of the highly anticipated open-world title GTA 6, Rockstar Games is now busy setting up shop in Los Angeles. A new job post on the publisher’s website revealed the company is seeking an Electronics Engineer for a “unique game development studio in Santa Monica.”
Going by the job description, the new Rockstar LA studio will primarily focus on designing cutting-edge motion capture hardware. The company had previously acquired Standard Deviation, a team of motion capture specialists. It seems the firm has been rebranded by Rockstar as its 10th active studio.
This is Rockstar LA – a new @RockstarGames studio that is located at 3030 Nebraska Ave, Santa Monica, LA. – It would appear the studio is related to Motion Capture, and almost certainly renamed following a previous acquisition of Standard Deviation which provide motion capture… pic.twitter.com/tMq0kaz3zh
— Rockstar Universe (@RStarUniverse) August 24, 2023
Is performance capture for GTA 6 beginning soon?
The overwhelming success of GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 combined with fans’ gigantic expectations of GTA 6 has naturally put tremendous pressure on Rockstar Games. With the 6th installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, the publisher is tasked with delivering not just the best GTA game but the best open-world game the industry has ever seen.
It would only make sense then that the company is pouring significant resources into the new Santa Monica studio. The Rockstar LA team is expected to conceptualize performance capture devices, like cameras and sensors, from scratch. This could be a hint that the studio intends to take major strides in motion capture and game development as a whole. An improved motion capture technology would not only result in more realistic character physics, but it would also allow the makers to better translate actors’ performances onto the character models. The more refined the expressions, the more impactful and immersive the scene.
The most logical assumption at this point would be that the new Santa Monica studio might soon start work on performance capture for GTA 6. But without an official word from Rockstar Games, it remains a guessing game.
