https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/09/15/why-a-million-people-still-play-multiplayer-grand-theft-auto-san-andreas-every-month/
So this week GTA5 was (is) on sale half price. I considered buying it, read around on google reddit etc, realized it would be idiotic to buy it. First because the only thing that makes me look at youtube links of it are the graphics when modded, and second of all cuz the online experience seems terrible (16 players max, constant server crashes, assholism, no mods online allowed etc...).
FiveM btw is back but it's back in fivereborn, but it doesnt seem to be big at all, doesnt allow piracy either, and besides those GPUs are still for the well-off, while of the many appeals of the GTA3 online modded servers is any guy with a pentium 3 can go on it. So I calculate MTA is evergreen and not going away anytime soon, at least 5 years but probably 10 it will have more users or as many as each new iteration of a steam graphics. Great article btw.