In a recent development, former Rockstar North technical director, Obbe Vermeij, has come forward with allegations that the company demanded he remove his posts revealing information about cancelled projects. Vermeij, who spent 14 years at Rockstar before leaving in 2009, had shared details on abandoned games, including the highly anticipated PlayStation spy game, Agent.

Vermeij took to his blog to disclose the situation, stating that Rockstar reached out to him on November 22, 2023, expressing their concerns about his posts. "Apparently some of the OGs there are upset by my blog. I genuinely didn't think anyone would mind me talking about 20-year-old games but I was wrong," he wrote. The company's reasoning behind this request, according to Vermeij, was the fear of "ruining the Rockstar mystique."

Considering the potential impact on his relationships with former colleagues in Edinburgh, Vermeij made the decision to wind down his blog. However, he expressed his desire for Rockstar to eventually open up about the development of these cancelled projects. "Maybe I'll try again in a decade or two," he mused.

One of the projects Vermeij mentioned was the cancelled game Agent, which was initially announced as a PlayStation 3 exclusive at E3 2009. The game was intended to be set in a 1970s Cold War setting, but it was ultimately scrapped due to being deemed "too much of a distraction" from Rockstar's focus on Grand Theft Auto.

Vermeij revealed that the original plan was to divide Rockstar North into two teams, with one working on GTA 4 and the other on Agent, codenamed Jimmy. The game was intended to feature various locations, including a French Mediterranean city, a Swiss ski resort, Cairo, and a climactic shootout with lasers in space.

Additionally, Vermeij spoke about another cancelled project that involved repurposing the GTA V engine to create a zombie game set on a remote Scottish island, known as "GTA V ice City." However, the project was abandoned as it was deemed "depressing," and the team shifted their focus directly to GTA San Andreas.

As of now, Rockstar has not made any official comments regarding Vermeij's claims or the alleged cancelled projects. It remains to be seen whether the company will address these developments in the future.

The revelations made by Vermeij provide an intriguing glimpse into the inner workings of Rockstar North and the projects that never saw the light of day. Fans of the studio may hope for more transparency in the future as they eagerly await news of upcoming releases.