SUMMARY
- GTA 5 had its source leaked over the internet and is also in possession by a modder group.
- The source code not only showcased the game builds but also several factors included like the cancelation of Bully 2 and GTA 5 single player DLCs in favor of GTA Online.
The recently leaked GTA 5 source code has shaken the entire gaming community and most importantly Rockstar Games. The source code has revealed several bits of confidential information that Rockstar planned to keep under wraps.
The GTA 5 source code was stolen from the developer’s servers last year. However, recently when the key hacker behind the ransomware attack, Arion Kurtaj, was convicted and sentenced to an indefinite hospital order, the members of the group leaked as much as 4.5 GB of data as an homage to Arion.
The source code has so far brought a lot of sensitive information to light including canceled titles and scrapped GTA 5 DLCs among others. Similarly, another shocking revelation has come to light from the source code.
Bad news for Nintendo Switch
The analysis and deciphering of GTA 5 source code has revealed that a Nintendo Switch port for GTA 5 was never in development. A Reddit user named ‘RafaelSwi’ found that the GTA 5’s recently leaked source code involves just a select few references to the Switch.
GTA V for Nintendo Switch was likely never in development
byu/RafaelSwi inGamingLeaksAndRumours
Further, the user further reveals that the leaked data indicates that any GTA 5 Switch port plans were probably scrapped prior to 2017, even if they ever existed. A Nintendo Switch port for GTA 5 was potentially never in active development.
GTA 5 celebrated its 10th anniversary in September this year. However, rumors about a GTA 5 Switch port have been making rounds in the industry ever since the game released. In fact even before Nintendo’s hybrid console launched in the market in early 2017.
Over the years other Rockstar’s open-world titles such as L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption have made their way to the Switch. This kept the community hopeful that GTA 5 would eventually follow suit. However, the recently leaked data tells a different story that a Switch port of GTA 5 was seemingly never in development.
Why was GTA 5 Switch port not released?
The Reddit user pointed out that the entire 4.5 GB GTA 5 codebase includes just two references to the Nintendo Switch along with a couple more mentions of the console’s NX64 codename. Analyzing the references, the user speculates that Rockstar might have initially considered the possibility of bringing the game to the Switch, however, ended up canceling the plan after it was announced that the Wii U successor would use the 64-bit ARM architecture.
That theory also explains why the source code includes more mentions of the Nintendo’s NX codename as compared to its official Switch moniker. Additionally, the Switch port of Red Dead Redemption was released recently, in August 2023, and it is the only RAGE engine game to have made it to Nintendo’s handheld device.
The Reddit users also emphasized that trying to run GTA 5 on the Nintendo Switch prior to RAGE being ported to the console would have been “a waste of time.” The user further concludes that there is no indication of the game ever being in active development for the hybrid console.