GTA 3’s protagonist, Claude, never spoke a word in the game. Former Rockstar director Obbe Vermeij shared some insight on why that’s the case. Read on to learn more.
GTA 3 Technical Director Explains Why Its Protagonist Never Uttered a Word
Claude Became a Silent Protagonist Due to Audio Team Constraints
Obbe Vermeij, a former director of Rockstar Games, shed some light on why GTA 3’s protagonist, Claude, never said a word. Twitter (X) user @NikTekOfficial posted a photo of Claude with the caption “Why did this guy exactly never talk?” Vermeij responded with “At least part of it was that we had to cut corners. The audio dept were busy as it was.”
It’s hard to imagine a Rockstar game with a silent protagonist, considering how the studio has developed some of the most quotable games over the years. Protagonists like Niko Bellic, Arthur Morgan, and Carl “CJ” Johnson were all talkative and charismatic leads from successful Rockstar titles. While GTA 3 did not have a protagonist who spoke, it was still revolutionary in its own way as it pioneered modern 3D open world video games.
Given how big the game was at the time and how small Rockstar was compared to what it is now, it’s not really farfetched to think that they had their hands full. Additionally, fully-voiced video game protagonists weren’t all that common at the time. While we know that there were constraints in the audio team, we don’t know for sure if it was because of budget, technical, or other limitations.
Despite his silence, Claude remains a noteworthy and memorable Rockstar protagonist. Players could identify with Claude more, allowing them to immerse themselves in Liberty City. Additionally, Claude’s silence made the other characters and the game’s immersive open world stand out more.
