Many of the game's cases were inspired by real crimes committed in 1940s Los Angeles. For example, the case 'The Driver's Seat' is based on the story of Eugene White, who disappeared in 1947. 'A Marriage Made in Heaven', meanwhile, carries traces of the real events surrounding the death of Jay Dee Chitwood in 1944 and of the film Double Indemnity.
'The Red Lipstick Murder' was adapted from the unsolved case of army nurse Jeanne French, who was brutally murdered in 1947. The letters 'B.D.' written in lipstick on French's body led to a connection being drawn with the era's famous 'Black Dahlia' murder. The game successfully captures this mysterious atmosphere.
The 'Golden Butterfly' case adheres closely to the real story of Dorothy Montgomery, who was murdered in Los Angeles on 3 May 1947. A golden butterfly brooch torn from her blouse was found beside Montgomery's body. Authorities initially linked the savagery to the murder of Elizabeth Short.
'The Silk Stocking Murder' is a loose adaptation of the real case of Rosenda Mondragon, who was murdered in 1947. 'The White Shoe Slaying', meanwhile, was inspired by the story of Laura Trelstad, who lost her life the same year. 'The Studio Secretary Murder' is likewise based on the 1947 death of Evelyn Winters.
Most of the game's actors, including lead Aaron Staton, appeared in the series Mad Men. This shared cast stands out as a coincidence that reinforces the period atmosphere.
The development of L.A. Noire took a full seven years. This long-running effort is regarded as an indication of the game's attention to detail and its technical innovations.
Although the game was widely acclaimed and sold well, the long development period and the costly face-capture technology led to the closure of its developer, Team Bondi. The studio ceased operations shortly after the game's release.
Lead actor Aaron Staton and Connie Fletcher, who plays his wife Marie in the game, are also married in real life. This gave a natural boost to the chemistry between the characters.
L.A. Noire holds the distinction of being the first video game shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. At the festival the game was presented as an hour-long film, after which the audience had the chance to ask the developers questions.
The game's script is a full 2,200 pages long. This enormous text forms the basis of the game's cinematic storytelling and its branching story.
To accurately portray post-war Los Angeles, the developers drew on the archive of 1940s aerial photographer Robert Spence. In this way the city's texture from that period was recreated with great meticulousness.
The social security number of Elizabeth Smart, seen in 'The Quarter Moon Murders' (078-05-1120), is an intriguing reference to a real mistake. In 1938, when a wallet company placed sample cards in its wallets for promotional purposes, it used its secretary's real number, and that number remained the most common social security number for years.
The original interrogation options were designed as 'Coax', 'Force' and 'Lie'. They were later changed to 'Truth', 'Doubt' and 'Lie'. Players found it odd that Cole Phelps became excessively aggressive with the 'Doubt' option. In the Remastered versions these options were updated to 'Good Cop', 'Bad Cop' and 'Accuse'.
The game was initially being developed in partnership with Sony, but as costs rose, Sony withdrew from the project. Rockstar Games then stepped in and invested more than 50 million dollars in the production.
All the vehicles in the game are licensed models of real brands such as Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge and Cadillac. Among them are vehicles from companies that have since closed. The game also features a bus, a truck and a bulldozer that cannot be driven and are not named.
After the game's release, former employees described the gruelling production process. The harsh and abusive attitude of studio head Brendan McNamara and a two-year period of heavy overtime stood out. Staff turnover was very high; new hires would leave within a few months.
A penalty system was initially considered for street crimes: if you failed a case, your superior would scold you and send you out to catch criminals on the street. You could not take on a new case without solving enough street crimes. This system was removed as it was found to be distracting, but the dialogue in the poor-performance scenes remained in the game.
In the 'Quarter Moon Murders' case in the homicide desk, Cole Phelps and Rusty Galloway solve the famous Black Dahlia murder. This case is one of the darkest and most gripping sections of the game.
The remastered version of L.A. Noire was announced on 7 September 2017. Three different versions were planned: 1080p and 4K resolution support for Xbox One and PS4, new touch controls for Nintendo Switch, and seven cases adapted for VR for the HTC Vive. All versions were released on 14 November 2017, and it was said that the move was made to gauge interest in a sequel.
The Fraud and Burglary desks were cut from the game because they did not fit on a single Blu-ray disc. The game's director, Brendan McNamara, stated that a total of eleven cases for these two desks had been developed up to a certain point. The 'six months later' text between the Traffic and Homicide desks explains this gap.
The pencil Cole Phelps uses is the 'Venus' model by the US Pencil Company. This small detail is an indication that the character was equipped with accessories appropriate to his era.
Don Kembry, who plays the British boxer Albert Hammond in the case 'The Set Up', had also voiced Mark Hammond, the protagonist of director Brendan McNamara's earlier game The Getaway. This creates a nice connection between the two games.
The traffic desk case 'A Slip of the Tongue' follows the same plot as the 'The Big Deal' episode of the 1956 series Dragnet. Both deal with a printer committing forgery on ownership documents.
The vice desk case 'Reefer Madness' is based on the 1936 propaganda film of the same name. That film is known for depicting marijuana use in an extremely exaggerated and fear-filled way.
The game amounts to an explicit homage to James Ellroy's 'L.A. Quartet'. Ellroy also wrote a second quartet set during World War II.
The character Roy Earle takes his name from the protagonist of High Sierra (1941), in which Humphrey Bogart played the lead. This reference reinforces the game's film noir atmosphere.
The two songs Elsa sings in the game carry hints about her fate. The song 'I Always Kill The Thing That I Love' comes true when both men she loves die at the end of the game. 'Guilty', meanwhile, symbolizes the guilt she feels over both of their deaths.
The shop to the right of Frank Morgan's apartment is named 'Geiger's Rare Books'. This is a reference to Raymond Chandler's famous detective novel 'The Big Sleep'.