Upcoming open-world adventure Everywhere is anticipated to to give Rockstar Games' eventual release of Grand Theft Auto 6 a rival. The mysterious title is being developed by Build a Rocket Boy Games, which is run by an ex-Rockstar executive, and even Everywhere's title could be a dig at the GTA franchise.

Everywhere may arrive on next-gen consoles and is the brainchild of former Rockstar North President Leslie Benzies, who had a public falling-out with Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive in 2016. The breakup resulted in a contentious legal battle over what Benzies claimed was $150 million-worth of unpaid royalties for his work on GTA 3 through GTA 5. The ex-GTA developer also stated Rockstar encouraged "a company culture involving strip clubs [and] personal photography of employees in sexually compromising positions" in his lawsuit.

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Given Benzies' adversarial relationship with his former employer, it's possible Everywhere could be a dig at Rockstar. Build a Rocket Boy Games has tried to distinguish its game from Rockstar's crime adventure by framing it as a science-fiction title. Even so, its title is eerily similar to a long-forgotten GTA location: Anywhere City from GTA 2. This nondescript metropolis debuted in the 1999 sequel to the original GTA, but it was never featured in any following installments. Benzies joined Rockstar after GTA 2 launched, so Everywhere could be a subtle insult implying his departure will lead the company to release more games like GTA 2, which wasn't received with the same praise as the original.

Is GTA 6 Rival Game Everywhere Called That Because Of Grand Theft Auto 2? Anywhere City

GTA 2 was one of the only games in the franchise not set in the main three cities that debuted in the original title (Liberty City, Vice City, and Los Santos/San Andreas). The release received mixed review: IGN stated it was "average at best," and GameSpot noted its "graphics look a bit plain." It was a blemish on GTA's previously stellar record, and Build a Rocket Boy Games could be calling back to this.

On Everywhere's website, Build a Rocket Boy Games bills it as a next-gen, choose-your-own-adventure game, in which players will have total freedom over a number of narrative paths. The site offers a mysterious breakdown of what Everywhere could be about, but its cryptic language opens the door for more questions than answers. It also includes an ominous mission statement that makes it sounds like it wants to make Take-Two and Rockstar shake to their core:

"It’s a game. It’s a community. It’s a new world. The storm is on the horizon. And it is only the beginning of EVERYWHERE."

The fact that Benzies even set off to create an open-world game in the first place puts his studio in competition with Grand Theft Auto 6 and other Rockstar franchises, like Western adventure Red Dead Redemption. The founder of Build a Rocket Boy Games has never admitted Everywhere's title is meant to troll Take-Two and Rockstar. That said, based on his statements in the past, it's not difficult to believe Benzies would want to take a jab at his one-time employer.

Next: Why GTA: Vice City's Ice Cream Factory Was The Game's Worst Purchase

Source: Build a Rocket Boy Games, IGN, GameSpot