Fans of Rockstar Games' Midnight Club series have been waiting a very long time for its return. The arcade racing franchise has been inactive since Midnight Club: Los Angeles launched in 2008, and a former Rockstar developer has now explained some of the reasons the series was ultimately left behind.
Kris Roberts, who worked as a designer on several Midnight Club games as well as Red Dead Redemption, recently discussed the franchise during an interview with Kiwi Talkz, which was reported by Insider Gaming. Roberts worked at Rockstar until 2010 and said several factors contributed to the decision to move away from Midnight Club.
According to Roberts, development problems played a part. Missed deadlines and disagreements between Rockstar's New York and San Diego teams created additional difficulties for the franchise. The San Diego studio was responsible for developing Midnight Club, while Rockstar's New York team had a different view of where the company's resources should be focused.
However, Roberts suggested that the biggest problem was something much more obvious: Grand Theft Auto.
Midnight Club may have been a successful racing series, but it was never able to reach the same level of importance inside Rockstar as GTA. Roberts explained that the San Diego team felt like it was constantly being compared with Rockstar's biggest franchise and was treated as a secondary project as a result.
The situation was especially frustrating because the Midnight Club developers believed they were producing high-quality games. The series had earned strong reviews, but that wasn't enough to compete for attention with Grand Theft Auto.
By the time Roberts left Rockstar in 2010, the San Diego studio was reportedly working on another Midnight Club project. That game never saw the light of day, however, and the franchise was eventually put on hold indefinitely.
Roberts said it became clear that Rockstar's future would be focused heavily on GTA and other major projects rather than continuing with Midnight Club. As a result, the racing series effectively disappeared.
For fans, the timing makes the decision easier to understand. Midnight Club: Los Angeles launched in 2008, the same year as Grand Theft Auto 4. GTA 4 became one of the biggest games of its generation and showed just how much potential Rockstar's open-world crime series had.
Rockstar's attention increasingly shifted toward GTA after that, and the success of Grand Theft Auto Online only made the franchise more valuable to the company. With GTA capable of generating huge sales and long-term revenue, it became increasingly difficult to justify putting major resources into another series.
That doesn't mean Midnight Club was unsuccessful. The games developed a loyal following, with players particularly enjoying their fast arcade-style racing, open-world environments, customization, and emphasis on street culture.
Midnight Club 2 remains especially fondly remembered by many fans, although the series' lack of PC releases also prevented it from reaching a wider audience. Midnight Club: Los Angeles was eventually released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but there has been no new mainline entry since then.
More than 15 years later, Rockstar still hasn't announced a Midnight Club revival. The company is currently heavily associated with Grand Theft Auto, while Red Dead Redemption has also become one of its major franchises.
Roberts' comments don't necessarily mean Midnight Club could never return. Rockstar owns the series and could theoretically bring it back if it ever decided that the timing was right. However, the former developer's explanation suggests that the franchise was not simply forgotten—it was pushed aside as Rockstar increasingly concentrated on its biggest properties.
For longtime fans, that may be disappointing, but it also provides some insight into why one of Rockstar's most distinctive franchises disappeared so suddenly. Midnight Club may have had plenty of potential left, but competing with GTA inside Rockstar was always going to be an extremely difficult race to win.
Kris Roberts, who worked as a designer on several Midnight Club games as well as Red Dead Redemption, recently discussed the franchise during an interview with Kiwi Talkz, which was reported by Insider Gaming. Roberts worked at Rockstar until 2010 and said several factors contributed to the decision to move away from Midnight Club.
According to Roberts, development problems played a part. Missed deadlines and disagreements between Rockstar's New York and San Diego teams created additional difficulties for the franchise. The San Diego studio was responsible for developing Midnight Club, while Rockstar's New York team had a different view of where the company's resources should be focused.
However, Roberts suggested that the biggest problem was something much more obvious: Grand Theft Auto.
Midnight Club may have been a successful racing series, but it was never able to reach the same level of importance inside Rockstar as GTA. Roberts explained that the San Diego team felt like it was constantly being compared with Rockstar's biggest franchise and was treated as a secondary project as a result.
The situation was especially frustrating because the Midnight Club developers believed they were producing high-quality games. The series had earned strong reviews, but that wasn't enough to compete for attention with Grand Theft Auto.
By the time Roberts left Rockstar in 2010, the San Diego studio was reportedly working on another Midnight Club project. That game never saw the light of day, however, and the franchise was eventually put on hold indefinitely.
Roberts said it became clear that Rockstar's future would be focused heavily on GTA and other major projects rather than continuing with Midnight Club. As a result, the racing series effectively disappeared.
For fans, the timing makes the decision easier to understand. Midnight Club: Los Angeles launched in 2008, the same year as Grand Theft Auto 4. GTA 4 became one of the biggest games of its generation and showed just how much potential Rockstar's open-world crime series had.
Rockstar's attention increasingly shifted toward GTA after that, and the success of Grand Theft Auto Online only made the franchise more valuable to the company. With GTA capable of generating huge sales and long-term revenue, it became increasingly difficult to justify putting major resources into another series.
That doesn't mean Midnight Club was unsuccessful. The games developed a loyal following, with players particularly enjoying their fast arcade-style racing, open-world environments, customization, and emphasis on street culture.
Midnight Club 2 remains especially fondly remembered by many fans, although the series' lack of PC releases also prevented it from reaching a wider audience. Midnight Club: Los Angeles was eventually released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, but there has been no new mainline entry since then.
More than 15 years later, Rockstar still hasn't announced a Midnight Club revival. The company is currently heavily associated with Grand Theft Auto, while Red Dead Redemption has also become one of its major franchises.
Roberts' comments don't necessarily mean Midnight Club could never return. Rockstar owns the series and could theoretically bring it back if it ever decided that the timing was right. However, the former developer's explanation suggests that the franchise was not simply forgotten—it was pushed aside as Rockstar increasingly concentrated on its biggest properties.
For longtime fans, that may be disappointing, but it also provides some insight into why one of Rockstar's most distinctive franchises disappeared so suddenly. Midnight Club may have had plenty of potential left, but competing with GTA inside Rockstar was always going to be an extremely difficult race to win.
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