Rumors of an LA Noire 2 have been floating across the web currently, however is there truly any fact to them?
Over the weekend, eagle-eyed followers dug up (*2*). The leak originated on 4Chan and revealed a bunch of particulars which have truly since been confirmed. Maybe one of probably the most notable bits is that Rockstar as soon as deliberate to have 4 protagonists in GTA 6, however ultimately settled on two, which was lately confirmed by Rockstar North co-studio head Rob Nelson. Nevertheless, it’s value noting that this tidbit was additionally buried in a report from Axios a yr previous to the 4Chan leak, as properly.
The publish went on to disclose particulars in regards to the recreation’s relationship mechanic, which has additionally since been confirmed, and teased some spoilers which were loosely corroborated in different reliable leaks in recent times. Nevertheless, the explanation individuals are digging this publish again up is as a result of it claims that Rockstar’s subsequent recreation is a sequel to LA Noire, set to launch in 2030.
The sport could be set in San Francisco and heart across the Zodiac Killer, who terrorized town within the ’70s. If there ever have been to be an LA Noire followup, this could be probably the most very best story to deal with, provided that it is wealthy with distinctive crimes, individuals, and has a nice setting. So… is any of this actual? Let us take a look at all of the proof.
For starters, LA Noire was developed by the studio Crew Bondi, led by a man named Brendan McNamara. Rockstar revealed the crime recreation and lent some builders to help on the challenge. Sadly, Crew Bondi dissolved shortly after LA Noire’s launch. Not lengthy after, McNamara based a new studio to make a successor generally known as The Whore of the Orient (which we reported new particulars on earlier this summer season) with out the assistance of Rockstar.
The sport was scrapped attributable to funding points and McNamara based one more studio generally known as Video Video games Deluxe, which helped port LA Noire to VR units. The studio was acquired by Rockstar in 2025 and renamed to Rockstar Australia, main many to marvel what they’re as much as, precisely.
Presumably, they’re serving to with GTA 6, however a lot of the studio is comprised of ex-LA Noire creatives, together with McNamara, who’s a famend storyteller. It appears arduous to think about that a inventive like him could be relegated to main a assist studio, so it appears possible that there could possibly be plans for extra video games with him on the helm.
Rockstar has additionally proven an curiosity within the IP a number of occasions over time. LA Noire was the second Rockstar recreation behind GTA 5 to be ported over to Xbox One and PS4, which raised eyebrows, given followers have been extra involved in titles like Bully, Pink Lifeless Redemption, and even GTA 4. A condensed model of the sport was additionally ported to VR across the similar time, which was an uncommon stage of funding for Rockstar.
Extra lately, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick was requested in regards to the chance of LA Noire returning. He famous that the door is open for Rockstar to revisit the sport, as long as there’s a group that is captivated with it.
“Broadly, we’re taking a look at doing one thing sooner or later with all of our mental property,” he mentioned in April 2026. “There’s nothing to announce on LA Noire particularly, and if there have been, it could be Rockstar saying it, not me. However in any case, with regard to our legacy IP, the groups are all the time taking a look at what we now have and we’re all the time fascinated by it. The query is, at any given time, do we now have a group that’s captivated with engaged on that?”
Whether or not McNamara is invested in one other interval crime drama stays to be seen, however his group would probably be those most gung-ho about going again to LA Noire. In 2012, Rockstar additionally teased that an LA Noire sequel wasn’t off the desk, because it was happy with how the sport carried out, and Take-Two even famous its significance as a “franchise” transferring ahead.
“Do not rely out the chance of a new recreation within the LA Noire franchise sooner or later,” mentioned Rockstar throughout a fan Q&A. “We merely haven’t determined something. We’re all very happy with how that recreation turned out and are contemplating what the longer term might maintain for LA Noire as a collection. We do not all the time rush to make sequels, however that doesn’t imply we cannot get to them ultimately – see Max [Payne] and Pink Lifeless for proof of that – we now have so many video games we wish to make and the difficulty is all the time one of bandwidth and timing.”
Both manner, it is an thrilling prospect to contemplate, however there are a lot of questions over what route Rockstar will take post-GTA 6. The sport is anticipated to be the most important leisure launch in historical past, and the studio will probably assist the hell out of it with updates over time, particularly when its on-line mode launches sooner or later.
Will that be all-consuming, eliminating any probability of “smaller” video games like an LA Noire sequel, or will the monetary success afford Rockstar the chance to make extra attention-grabbing inventive performs? We’ll simply have to attend and see, however Rockstar is already set to publish a pair of Max Payne remakes, developed by Treatment, so there are alternatives outdoors of closely monetized on-line video games.
Cade Onder
Freelance Author
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s information group. He covers all issues leisure, together with gaming, movie, and extra. Yow will discover him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.