The answer, released on April 29, 2008, was controversial. Instead of widening the scope, Rockstar chose to deepen it. Grand Theft Auto IV stripped away the parachutes, the property tycoon minigames, and the over-the-top satire of the early 2000s. In their place, they delivered a gritty, melancholic, and brutally realistic story about immigration, the American Dream, and the heavy cost of loyalty.