The 3D Universe is the official name given by Rockstar North (formerly known as DMA Design) to the universe in which the Manhunt duology is set in.
This universe's continuity, including brands, vehicles, characters, in-universe celebrities, events and locations, are shared with Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto series' 3D Universe titles (six games in total), as part of a shared universe.
Description[]
Origin[]
The name originates from the three universes of the Grand Theft Auto franchise – also intellectual property of Scottish game developer Rockstar North – officially split into the 2D, 3D and HD Universe with only brands, celebrity names and radio personalities being shared between realities, yet with significant changes in the lore.[1]
The 3D Universe is known by this name due to the introduction of fully three-dimensional game graphics for the overall gameplay, as opposed to the previous Grand Theft Auto series' 2D Universe which only used 3D assets for the scenery.
[]
Grand Theft Auto III released on 22 October 2001, two years prior to Manhunt. Despite that, the game was the first to set up Carcer City as a in-universe setting in the 3D Universe, along with a major foreshadowing towards the events of Manhunt, set two years after the events of Grand Theft Auto III.
Four years later, in 2005, Manhunt 2 is teased via promotional material depicting an in-universe website for Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, with Paulie's Revue Bar manager JD O'Toole selling BDSM-related products from Cottonmouth's Red Light District.[2] Two years later, Manhunt 2 is released, featuring a bioweapons researcher graduated from the University of San Fierro in San Andreas as the protagonist.[3]
Grand Theft Auto series[]
Thanks to a creative decision from one of the storytelling-related departments within Rockstar North, the Manhunt series was briefly used as a way to expand the background lore of the Grand Theft Auto world in a different gameplay style.
Celebrities, brands and locations from the Grand Theft Auto series are mentioned multiple times throughout both Manhunt titles. In some cases, additional lore is given to these characters through dialogue in Manhunt (i.e. the BJ Smith Grill). These connections between both Rockstar North franchises are never taken as the focus in Manhunt, serving only as fan service towards the Grand Theft Auto series.
Post-GTA Reboot[]
With the reboot of the Grand Theft Auto series in 2008, a new continuity was created for Grand Theft Auto IV and subsequent titles. While the Manhunt series and the six 3D Universe Grand Theft Auto titles are not considered part of this new canon established by Rockstar North, certain brands and media personality characters from the previous world are recycled and adapted for this new universe, officially referred to as the "HD Universe".[4][5]
A few notable examples of rebooted Manhunt content in the new HD Universe includes a brand new Carcer City used to maintain the tradition of the city's recurring mentions in the series, Shaniquwa's background, the removal of Rubber Fist's logos from the company's rebooted BDSM products, and many other major lore changes.
Development[]
Manhunt Concepts[]
Prior to 1999, Rockstar North (still named DMA Design) split the studio into two teams, one developing Space Station Silicon Valley and the other developing Body Harvest. After the studio moved from Dundee to Edinburgh circa 1999, DMA Design began working on the concepts for Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto III at the same time, also under two separate teams in the same studio.
Both games were being developed in the same RenderWare engine and sharing assets with one another. Manhunt was originally being developed as a dark-toned first person stealth game, until Rockstar North President Leslie Benzies decided to switch to a third person perspective in late development.[6]
Final Stages of Development[]
Manhunt was reportedly stuck in development hell for a while. By 2003, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City was already released and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was in its late development stages. A few developers from Rockstar North's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas team joined the Manhunt team to fix certain bugs and optimize the game.
Rockstar North technical director Obbe Vermeij ported some of the visual effects he worked on in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, including dynamic litter (papers and leaves moving on the scenery), lens flares and item pickups.
After Manhunt[]
The game was eventually finished on November 19, 2003, and the two teams were subsequently merged back into one to finish the development of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.[7]
At the same time, the studio began working on the first concept ideas for Manhunt 2. Rockstar North 2D/UI graphic designer Steve Walsh made a proof of concept menu UI test for the game, while it was still a darkly comedic game about a serial killer controlled by a TV show puppet. This story theme was eventually scrapped and rewritten as the current MK-Ultra inspired story.[8]
Due to active development of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar North handed over the development of Manhunt 2 to affiliate Austrian video game developer Rockstar Vienna (former Neo Software Produktions). The game was being conceived under the supervision of Rockstar North during its development. Due to Rockstar Vienna's closure in 2006, development was handed to Rockstar London, with support from Rockstar Toronto and Rockstar Leeds who helped porting the title from its original PlayStation 2 version. The game was eventually released during the Halloween of 2007, and is currently the last Manhunt title published.
Chronological Release List[]
- Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002)
- Manhunt (2003)
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004)
- Grand Theft Auto Advance (2004)
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (2006)
- Manhunt 2 (2007)
Chronological Plot List[]
- Main article: Timeline
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (1984)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (1986)
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (1992)
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (1998)
- Grand Theft Auto Advance (2000)
- Grand Theft Auto III (2001)
- Manhunt 2 (2001; Flashbacks only)
- Manhunt (2003)
- Manhunt 2 (2007; Present-day events)
Locations in the 3D Universe[]
Unidentified States[]Rust Belt Region[]Dixieland Region[] |
State of Liberty[]State of Florida[]
State of San Andreas[] |
References[]
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