The 'GTA Trilogy' Devs Are Back With A New Mystery Game, And I Am Nervous
Remember the rain that looked like white noise? The character models that looked like melted wax? Well, the studio behind that is cooking again.
If the name "Grove Street Games" triggers a mild fight-or-flight response in you, I don't blame you. They are the studio responsible for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition, a release so disastrous it technically achieved legendary status for all the wrong reasons. I still see that weird, wide CJ model in my nightmares. But everyone deserves a redemption arc, right? According to a new discovery, they are gearing up for a major release in 2026.
The LinkedIn Leak
Thanks to the eagle-eyed Timur222 on Bluesky, we have a look at the LinkedIn profile of Jordan Kleeman, the Executive Producer at Grove Street Games. Listed quietly under his experience is a project that we haven't heard about yet:
"2026: Unannounced Title | PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S"
This isn't a mobile port, and it isn't a Switch game. They are targeting current-gen consoles and PC. This suggests a fairly ambitious project, or at least something substantial enough to skip the last generation of hardware.
A Chance for Redemption?
Before we start sharpening the pitchforks, we have to look at what they have been doing since the GTA debacle. They haven't just been sitting in a corner thinking about what they did.
The same LinkedIn profile highlights their work on the ARK franchise. Specifically, they worked on ARK: Survival Ascended and the ARK: Ultimate Mobile Edition, the latter of which Kleeman recently posted about celebrating 10 million downloads. Clearly, they can ship functional code that people actually want to play.
What Could It Be?
The listing is vague, but the timeline is interesting. A 2026 release date puts them squarely in the window of major releases like GTA VI (ironic) and the next Witcher saga. Whether this is another partnership with a major IP holder or an original project remains to be seen.
I want to be optimistic. Studios learn from their mistakes. Maybe the GTA Trilogy was a case of bad deadlines and biting off more than they could chew. Or maybe we are about to get another meme factory. Either way, Grove Street Games is still in the fight, and we will find out in 2026 if they have leveled up.
Source: Timur222 via Bluesky / Jordan Kleeman LinkedIn