Former Rockstar Games senior designer Kris Roberts, who worked on the Midnight Club series and the multiplayer component of Red Dead Redemption, has revealed that Midnight Club 5 was once in development but was ultimately canceled due to internal conflicts, missed deadlines, and disputes over creative control.
According to Roberts, the core Midnight Club team continued working on the new title after his departure from Rockstar. Development was already underway, with prototype city maps being created, and London was reportedly one of the locations being considered.
However, the project did not last long and was eventually canceled.
Roberts said one of the main reasons was a "significant conflict" between Rockstar New York and the Rockstar San Diego team. He noted that some of the criticism was justified, as the team repeatedly missed deadlines during the development of Midnight Club: Los Angeles.
He added that, at the time, such delays could have serious financial consequences. However, Roberts believes scheduling issues were not the only reason behind the project's cancellation.
According to the former developer, the struggle for creative control also played a major role. He argued that Midnight Club would have been considered a successful franchise at almost any other studio. Despite competing with Need for Speed and Burnout, the series performed well, and internal data reportedly showed that players spent more time playing Midnight Club than its competitors.
Nevertheless, Rockstar New York viewed the franchise differently. Roberts said the team was constantly reminded that Midnight Club was "not GTA," leaving its developers feeling like they were working on a second-tier project despite delivering high-quality work.
Following the cancellation of Midnight Club 5, the development team was disbanded. Some employees were reassigned to work on the RAGE engine and Red Dead Redemption, while others were laid off.
Roberts concluded that once the project was canceled, it became clear there would be no future for Midnight Club, as Rockstar shifted its primary focus to Grand Theft Auto and the company's other major franchises.
As a reminder, Amazon is Developing an Animated Warhammer 40,000 Series: Henry Cavill to Serve as Producer