When it comes to Rockstar Games, all eyes are on Grand Theft Auto 6, counting down the days to its release later in 2026. At Take-Two, however, thoughts are still wandering back to past glories, with CEO Strauss Zelnick confirming that a follow-up to the incredibly popular L.A. Noire isn’t off the table, giving fans like me a glimmer of hope to hold on to.
L.A. Noire is a detective game that follows the story of Cole Phelps in the Los Angeles Police Department, as he solves cases across the city. Phelps eventually uncovers a massive morphine distribution ring, run by comrades he fought with in World War II, forcing him to bring down a conspiracy that includes many powerful figures in L.A.
The game became an instant fan-favorite after its release in 2011, and gamers have been crying out for Rockstar to return to the franchise ever since. While Zelnick didn’t promise anything, he did open the door to the idea, and I’m already dreaming of what could come next.
Speaking at the iicon conference in front of a host of videogame executives, Zelnick confirmed that he had “nothing to announce on L.A. Noire specifically,” but went on to say that “with regard to our legacy IP, the teams are always looking at what we have and we’re always thinking about it.”
The Take-Two CEO specified that, for something to happen, they would need to have a team that was passionate about working on the project. That may sound like a throwaway quip, but there could be more to it than meets the eye.
Team Bondi, who made L.A. Noire, shut down following the release of the game. Writer Brendan McNamara, who was creative director at the studio, left and founded Video Games Deluxe, which just happened to be acquired by Take-Two in March 2025. They’re the team behind the iOS and Android versions of the original Grand Theft Auto trilogy, but also developed L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files back in 2017.
Of course, this is all speculation, but with McNamara at the helm, there’s a possibility that the newly renamed Rockstar Australia could be the perfect team to revisit L.A. Noire. There are plenty of other titles in Rockstar’s library that would delight fans if they came back too, like Midnight Club, Bully, and Max Payne.
In the meantime, I’ll do my best Cole Phelps impression and keep my nose to the ground, hunting for other clues linked to L.A. Noire.
