Rockstar Has Finally Given Up On This Game

Prior to the release of "Grand Theft Auto 5" in 2013, Rockstar Games was known for releasing at least one AAA title a year. For instance, between 2006 and 2008, the British-based company released "Bully," "Manhunt 2," "Grand Theft Auto 4," and "Midnight Club: Los Angeles," most of which then went on to become highly acclaimed and financially successful titles. Another game Rockstar had planned to release shortly after this time period was "Agent," a stealth-action game set during the Cold War and originally announced as a PlayStation 3 exclusive back in 2009. 

However, since the release of "Grand Theft Auto 5" and its "GTA Online" counterpart, Rockstar has dragged its feet a bit in regards to making new titles, with the company's only noteworthy release between 2013 and the present day being "Red Dead Redemption 2." This has been a rather concerted effort on Rockstar's part, as "Grand Theft Auto 5" has continued to rake in profit due to the online component's microtransactions and frequent updates.

This dedication to constantly adding new content to "GTA Online" has seen anticipated releases, such as a sequel to "Bully," be all but abandoned in recent years. And recently, it seems another one of Rockstar's developments has officially fallen by the wayside.

The development of "Agent" was an interesting saga for Rockstar Games, which makes it even stranger to think that it may never see the light of day. The spy-centric game was meant to have a globetrotting storyline that would take players to various locales, which prompted Rockstar to do plenty of overseas research. The company even accidentally created a small international crisis when senior environment artist Joe Sanabria went to take photos in Cairo and wound up detained by the authorities. This story didn't come to light until 2020, but it showed just how high of a priority this game was for Rockstar at one point — the company was clearly putting a lot on the line to bring the title to life.

When the game was first announced (via Business Wire), Rockstar Games co-founder Sam Houser said, "With 'Agent' we are making what we believe will be the ultimate action game." Unfortunately for the fans, it doesn't look like they'll ever get to experience that action.

Now, 12 years after it was initially revealed at E3 2009, fans have discovered that Rockstar Games has apparently completely given up on the development of "Agent." As seen in a screenshot uploaded by Twitter user @CyberBlacks, Rockstar has officially removed "Agent" from the list of games on its official website without so much as a word on why. Not only that, but the official website for "Agent" no longer exists and now redirects straight to Rockstar's website. What does this mean for Rockstar's once-anticipated spy adventure?

To date, the development of "Agent" has been mostly secretive, with any official updates from Rockstar being scarce. According to a 2019 report from Polygon, the game apparently changed hands a few times, shuffling from Rockstar San Diego to Rockstar North. Demos were made and people working on the project were excited for people to get their hands on the final product.

Despite all of this work behind the scenes, fans anticipating the game's release never even saw so much as an official announcement from Rockstar pertaining to the cancelation of "Agent," nor has a specific reason ever been revealed for the game's untimely demise. It has been reported that most of the team working on "Agent" were removed from the project to instead work on projects like "Grand Theft Auto 5," which has remained Rockstar's priority to this day. As of 2018, Rockstar's "Agent" trademark has officially lapsed and been abandoned (per IGN), leaving it yet another Rockstar game that you'll never get to play.

This recent development is sure to cause disappointment for gamers who were hoping for the new Rockstar IP and have grown tired of the company's dedication to a title that is quickly approaching 10 years of age. Outside of the seemingly-confirmed "GTA" trilogy remaster, it doesn't seem like Rockstar has too much coming out in the near future.