Cult of the Lamb Concept/Finished Product
Image: Massive Monsters

Takes, both good and bad, are aired on Twitter as a matter of course, and the realm of video games is no exception. The good ones are often elevated, and the bad ones are usually mocked or simply ignored. Some are so spectacular, however, that they can unite an entire industry, resulting in a teachable moment we can all learn something from.

In the wake of the spectacular leak of 90ish mid-development clips of the hotly anticipated Grand Theft Auto 6 (a situation which has potentially drawn the eye of the FBI), one take towered above the rest.

Its author (whose Tweets are now protected) got the ball rolling after imperiously declaring, "If you knew how game development goes, you'd know that visuals are one of the first things done." This sentiment struck a chord, one that was quickly set upon and distilled into a simpler, but more succinct form.

Naturally, this take drew the eye of professional video game developers who disagreed, to put things mildly. Devs began to share comparisons of their games, between the earliest iterations and concepts and the finished product, and we have highlighted several of these below. Fans and critics joined in, too, in a moment of healing and celebration not often seen in the normally secretive video game industry:

Screenshots of iconic games paint a similar picture, showing just how far games come from inception to full release. We often take for granted that development cycle, and the many, many iterations a concept goes through before achieving its final form.

Others were more emphatic and direct in their response:

What do you think of this whole situation? Is this top-tier trolling, or something that people genuinely believe? Warm up those takes in the comments section below.

[source resetera.com, via kotaku.com.au]