GTA V three character story will unfold over time

GTA V will feature multiple playable main characters when it arrives later this year, but Michael, Franklin, and Trevor won’t all be playable from the begginning of the game. In a recent interview with a French gaming publication, Rockstar Games elaborated on how they’ll reveal the characters, and why they decided to introduce you to the trio piece by piece.

Three characters from the start would hurt the gameplay and story

“Much of the game relies on the three characters and the way in which the lifestyle and actions of one affect the other two,” explains Leslie Benzies of Rockstar. “We think of the three characters from the start but we thought that it would hurt the gameplay and the story. We want to give the player the opportunity to know the three characters individually and explore the world of each of them, and it would not have been possible if the three had been available from the start.”

Regardless, the interview does explain that the open world of Los Santos will be fully explorable from the very start. Lead designer Imran Sarwar says that “You can also force things, if you wish, from one character to another and make them meet. They can then become friends and spend time together.”

GTA V is due out on September 17th for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.