If you love to play video games, especially the game Grand Theft Auto IV, it's kind of cool to think that the game's landscape was created based on the entire state of New York.

Video games have come a long way...

Video game development is incredible.  When you think about how far they've come in a short amount of time, some of these games really look realistic.  These cities look like cities that you may have visited at some point.  Heck, some of the landscapes in the game Grand Theft Auto IV might look a little familiar to you.

That's because the original concept art is based on the entire state of New York.

What cities are included in the map?

The actual name of the city on GTA IV is Liberty City but if you noticed any resemblance to New York State, it's because it was based on New York City, but if you look to the outskirts, you'll also see Syracuse, Buffalo, The Adirondacks, Lake Ontario, as well as the states of Connecticut and New Jersey.

I saw this post on Reddit and thought, "no way that's true,"  but if the poster is right, it's really cool.

In this video he shows a concept map that was put together by a guy named Nik Taylor who used to work at Rockstar Games as a map artist.  Rockstar Games is the company that develops the "Grand Theft Auto Games."  He was credited in GTA IV as the lead map artist.

 

What happened?  Why didn't it make it?

It looks as though much of the map got cut though because instead of trying to make the space larger to play in, they wanted to increase the experience of the game.

Buffalo would make a great place to base a game like this though.  Picture Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles flying down the 33...only in video game mode.

 

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