Not really being cranky. Just making the point that, if the older 2D games aren't DRM-free, then there really isn't a snowball's chance in a million hells of GTA 3+ being released here.

I played all 3 of them back in the days when they came out, and I also own the original PC versions on Steam. I bought them in a bundle for around 6 bucks 9 years ago. You could have done the same and played the hell out of them all that time while waiting for a DRM free release.

Rockstar is treating PC gamers very unfairly. That's for sure.

I doubt that we will ever get the original versions of GTA III, Vice City or San Andreas because simply for that Rockstar would have to renew the licenses for the music which they won't do. Even in the Definitive Editions are tracks missing.

If I were interested in using steam back then I could have done that. But I didn't want a DRM infested version back then and I don't want one now.

The license has nothing to do with it. They removed the original versions from Steam purely out of greed, and than when people complained, they have put them back in the Rockstar launcher, but only there. Fun fact: They never removed any music from the original version of Vice City. If you would have bought them, you could play them any time. What is so devestating about the fact that it's not DRM free? You don't even need internet connection to play them. Many games will never be released here. Usually no game is realeased everywhere.

Because I wouldn't own the copy and it could be taken away.

PC requires greater optimization and given the fact that GTA VI is going to look even more "realistic" and lived in, I wouldnt be surprised that it would be much harder for Rockstar to optimize it for PC versus for consoles where there is already a set standard. They are also 100% implementing some GTA Online feature because it was incredibly profitable for V and would want to implement proper anti-cheating for PC which is much easier to cheat on (and would kill the ecosystem and the cash cow if PC players cheat and destroy the online element).

To be honest though, why so excited for GTA VI? Its undoubtably going to be the exact same gameplay as before (auto aim + flick up for guaranteed headshots) which isnt even engaging in the first place. Ive played RDR, RDR2, GTA San Andreas, and GTA V so I think Ive gotten a good enough understanding of Rockstar's GTA franchise and it just doesnt click.

Because there are certain retro games here that are not available anywhere else.
That's the thing. You are way too concerned with the "what if in the future" instead of focusing on the "what is it now". I own those games on Steam since 2016, and I will probably own them for the rest of my life on Steam. I played the hell out of them before and ever since I bought them digitally. If I would have waited for a GOG release, I would be still waiting, and there's a big chance that I would wait for it for the rest of my life. People pay to watch a movie in the movie theatre, even through they know that once they watched it, they will be out of there. You buy a single player offline game, that is just not DRM free, and you own it for decades, if not for the rest of your life.
Iv'e been with the franchise since GTA 3. I saw the evolution of the franchise, and how revolutionary it was. I have high expectations for GTA 6, since it skipped out and entire console generation, and it's current gen only. I want to see a big evolution in terms of possibilities, NPC AI, enterable buildings, and more. Optimization is not an excuse since Rockstar has multiple teams, and every other company can release it for PC in time.

True. Rockstars tend to be like that, all full of themselves, "oh look at me, I can sing and shake my hips!".

Heck, The Beatles couldn't even do the latter, they just stand still like some kind of morons!

This is why in a way the gaming industry is how it is and why ownership of games is now mostly gone the way of the Dodo people not caring about DRM and other factors all because they want the game end results be damned on what the inpact will be later down the road.. I just hope you instead of buying them anywhere near full price got them dirt cheap atleast then it isn't the worst case of buying em anywhere near full price

That FOMO these corporations love to have everyone under. OP is clearly stuck in it, and will probably cave to buy an overpriced console, then buy an overpriced themepark game with no soul. These big games "everyone wants to play" are the strongest FOMO contenders. For the 10 of us that laugh at prices and play 10 year old games regularly, there's an ocean of 12-30+ year old "casual" (lazy and ignorant imo) gamers who only care about following trends and couldn't stand being the only one who "OMG hasn't played GTA 6 LOL!?".

GTA is a dead franchise. Get your used original PC CD's and have a blast, Rockstar doesn't deserve anyone's money. Or just download them especially if you already bought them in the past. Rockstar became the evil corporation they used to mock. People should spend their money and time on games that respect them and companies that don't pay psychologists to find out how to manipulate you as much as possible for profit.

The average casual gamer won't care about any of this until it affects them, if they ever realize it does.
Sure, the richest gaming company with the most profitable game of all time can't afford to develop for PC and console in tandem. It's definitely not greed.

Being on top of their competition doesn't enable them to manage projects haphazardly. They're still a public corporation that's accountable to their board / shareholders at the end of the day.

Not saying I agree with their ways, just explaining how it is.

Once you buy a game, they can't take it away from you even if they remove it from the store. It will remain in your account, and you can download it any time. The games I bought for full price, I already played the hell out of them, and made my investment worth. Some people are obsessed with owning games, but I bet that a lot of them spend far more time owning them, instead of actually playing them and making their investment worth.

Yes, people are "obsessed" with owning the things they buy.

The extent to which some people have been successfully brainwashed by corporations is astounding. Nonsense that would have been a grimly funny line from some dystopian movie a couple decades back is now spoken in real life in all seriousness.