Grand Theft Auto 5 Trevor DLC scrapped as GTA Online was such a "cash cow", developer says

A developer who worked on Rockstar's scrapped GTA 5 single-player Trevor DLC has discussed the project's cancellation and expressed regret it never saw the light of day.

The existence of GTA 5 single-player DLC, in which fan-favourite character Trevor Philips would have taken a starring role, has been discussed previously, and fans have wondered for some time if they'd ever hear more on why it was never released - though the sheer magnitude of GTA Online's success always seemed the reason why Rockstar ultimately priotised its resources there.

Now, speaking to YouTube channel SanInPlay, former Rockstar senior camera artist and virtual cinematographer Joseph Rubino has discussed his work on the project - and why it was cancelled.

"That was kind of my thing," Rubino said of the Trevor DLC. "I was one of the main editors, camera artist and doing a lot of the second unit on-stage stuff.

"We split our teams into two, so I stayed on GTA Online and then this DLC, which Steven Ogg was a very important part of, and then some of the team overlapped and went to [Red Dead Redemption 2] early on."

Trevor Philips actor Steven Ogg personally dicussed the project earlier this year, when he revealed he had "shot some stuff" that would have seen him working as undercover FBI agent.

Rockstar "spent so much money" on the project, Rubino continued, though noted that some of what had been worked on had still materialised via updates to GTA Online.

"When GTA Online came out, it was so much of a cash cow and people were loving it so much that it was hard to make an argument that a standalone DLC would out-compete that.

"Looking back now I would say that you could probably do both, but that was a business decision that they made and I was a little upset about that.

"[I was] a little sour at that time, because I was like 'yo, what the fuck guys, this shit's awesome, let's keep going, let's finish this shit, and then we shelved it."

Development work on the Trevor DLC was probably half-way complete, Rubino concluded, before work was "paused" as "GTA Online was going crazy".

Rockstar has never explicitly detailed its GTA 5 single-player plans, after initially announcing "some very exciting" story DLC over a decade ago, though did make clear the barn-storming GTA Online would ultimately be its focus.

"Right now our focus is on GTA Online which has exceeded our expectations," Rockstar North design director Imran Sarwar said in 2015. "We currently have all key members of the team that launched Grand Theft Auto 5 focused on supporting GTA Online in every capacity."

Of course, now Rockstar is focused on the upcoming GTA 6, which is set to arrive in the autumn of 2025.