Heists are coming to GTA Online in early 2015, first trailer released

After months and months of waiting, Rockstar has finally offered a first look at Heists in Grand Theft Auto Online.

Alongside the trailer, the developer revealed that Heists will finally be added to all versions of the game in early 2015. Rockstar describes Heists as a”four-player co-op mode for Grand Theft Auto Online that allows players to plan, prepare and execute multi-tiered Heists across Los Santos and Blaine County.”

According to the developer, they “will require tight communication and coordination, with players taking on specified roles at each point to accomplish multiple objectives on the way to each Heist’s epic finale.”

In a recent interview with IGN, GTA Online producer and lead mission designer Imran Sarwar explained why it’s taken so long for Heists to be released. “To be honest, they just turned out to be a lot more difficult than we originally thought,” he said. “As it turns out, creating missions of that complexity for multiple players at the same time was much more difficult than we anticipated and every time we thought we were close, something would send us back to square one. Having already let players know of our intentions with Heists, every setback only increased the pressure to make sure we got them right.

“One of the challenges is that unlike a heist in Story Mode, every player needs to feel central to the action at all times, and that’s much more challenging than it appears.

“We never want to have to move a date but if something is delayed, it’s because it’s not at the level we expect of ourselves,” he added. “And while we’re not there yet, we’re getting close and Heists will be ready early in 2015.”

Heists will require four players that are all rank 12 or above, with one of the four designated Heist Leader. To be a leader, a player must own a high-end apartment that has a room for the planning board. Being a leader has both advantages and disadvantages, according to Sarwar. On the plus side leaders can invite players into the crew, assign positions, pick outfits, and allocate each player’s cut. However, a leader also has to front the set up costs and doesn’t receive any cash until after the finale is complete.

You can read more about Heists over on IGN.

Heists are coming to GTA Online in early 2015, first trailer released