Midnight Club 5 was in early development before being canceled, according to a former Rockstar Games designer.
Kris Roberts, who worked as a senior designer at Rockstar, told Insider Gaming that by the time he departed the company in 2010, a team at Rockstar San Diego was actively working on a new installment in the Midnight Club franchise. Roberts recalled that prototype cities, including London, were being developed for the game. However, this project did not come to fruition and was ultimately canceled.
The cancellation stemmed from several issues, Roberts explained. A significant factor was a conflict between Rockstar's New York headquarters and its San Diego studio regarding missed development deadlines. Beyond scheduling, creative control also played a role.
Roberts expressed that the San Diego team felt Midnight Club was a strong franchise that could succeed in a different studio environment. However, internal perceptions at Rockstar HQ, which allegedly viewed the series as secondary to Grand Theft Auto, led to the team feeling undervalued. "The perception was we never got the accolades or the reception," Roberts stated. "The New York perspective was, ‘You’re not GTA’. When you’re the red-headed stepchild project—you know, we’re doing a good job, we’re world-class, but we’re still treated less than. It was challenging."
Despite data suggesting that Midnight Club was performing well against competitors like Need for Speed and Burnout, with players reportedly spending more time in Rockstar's racing game, this success did not appear to sway management's opinion. It has been nearly two decades since the last entry, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, was released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Although the series was mentioned in a 2022 earnings call by Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive, indicating it is not entirely forgotten, a return seems unlikely at this time.