An ancient, work-in-progress version of Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV has reportedly surfaced on an Xbox 360 development kit acquired at a car boot sale near Edinburgh. Dating back to November 2007, approximately six months prior to the game’s official launch, this version is said to contain a cut model for a Liberty City river ferry that was featured in an earlier trailer for the game.
The authenticity of the development hardware, described as “a phat white Xbox 360 XDK with a Rockstar North label,” remains unconfirmed beyond the buyer’s claim. However, the former Rockstar technical director Obbe Vermeij has corroborated that there were once plans to include a ferry in GTA IV. Vermeij mentioned that the ferries were ultimately cut from the game due to technical difficulties, particularly concerning collision and AI problems involving pedestrians and vehicles interacting atop moving transport.
For those who missed the inclusion of ferries in GTA IV during its original release, this discovery might offer some closure. The XDK build has been uploaded to the Internet Archive, prompting a thorough examination by users on GTA forums who are excitedly sifting through the contents. The buyer, having purchased the XDK for a mere five dollars, is now attempting to sell it for a significant profit.
So far, forum members have found a variety of unused assets including radio DJ lines, different character models and names, and evidence of a cancelled zombie minigame. When questioned about the potential zombie content, Vermeij noted that while there had been discussions about incorporating zombies, there was no substantial development in that direction, as artists often proposed such ideas without them gaining much traction.
Rockstar has previously experimented with zombie themes, as seen in titles like Red Dead Redemption’s Undead Nightmare, making the concept less surprising in the context of GTA IV. In a related thread, Vermeij disclosed a past project idea involving a survival game featuring zombies based on GTA: Vice City code, which was ultimately deemed too bleak to pursue.
This situation serves as a reminder of the unique finds one might encounter at car boot sales, especially those located near development studios like Rockstar North. The emergence of this older build has caught the attention of fans and researchers alike, but it may not be long before legal challenges shield the content from wider scrutiny. Rockstar North and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, are currently engaged in litigation regarding workforce restructuring related to union formation, indicating they have other pressing matters to address beyond the implications of this vintage game build.
