Dan Houser, founder of Rockstar games - leaves company -

[Spatula]

I thought I was gonna post it at the general, but it seems like big news

https://nordic.ign.com/red-dead-red...d-gta-writer-dan-houser-leaves-company-update

byMatt Kim
Posted Feb. 5, 2020, 12:34 a.m.
Dan Houser, the co-founder of Rockstar Games and head writer on games like Bully, Red Dead Redemption, and Grand Theft Auto, is leaving Rockstar and Take-Two Games.

A Rockstar Games spokesperson has added a comment regarding the news of Dan Houser's departure. The company didn't address Houser's departure directly but reiterated that Sam Houser, Dan's brother and a co-founder at Rockstar Games, is still at the company.

In a statement to IGN, a Rockstar Games spokesperson said, "Sam Houser's role with Rockstar Games, which he founded in 1998, remains unchanged. Sam and the team remain focused on current and future projects."



Dan Houser (center) receives award at DICE Awards 2014. Credit: DICE


According to Take-Two Interactive, the parent company of Rockstar Games, Dan Houser will be leaving the company on March 11, 2020. He previously worked on numerous GTA games as well as Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2.

In a statement published ahead of the company’s Q3 2020 financial report, Take-Two said:

“We are extremely grateful for his contributions. Rockstar Games has built some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful game worlds, a global community of passionate fans and an incredibly talented team, which remains focused on current and future projects.”

Houser already took an “extended break” that began in the spring of 2019 after the launch of Red Dead Redemption 2 in November 2018.

Dan along with his brother Sam Houser were executives at BMG Interactive before it was acquired by Take-Two. The Houser brothers founded Rockstar Games under Take-Two in December 1998. At Rockstar, the brothers wrote and developed games like GTA and Red Dead, but also Bully, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, and Smuggler's Run.

Houser is credited as a writer on most of the Grand Theft Auto games from Grand Theft Auto 2 to Grand Theft Auto 5, as well as head writer on Bully, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne 3, and Red Dead Redemption 2.

In a 2018 interview with GQ Houser briefly talked about the challenge of writing Grand Theft Auto 6 in today's climate. "It’s really unclear what we would even do with [GTA 6], let alone how upset people would get with whatever we did," said Houser. "Both intense liberal progression and intense conservatism are both very militant, and very angry."

 

[The Last Stand]

Well, it looks like R* signature single player experiences will be a thing of the past.

 

[NIGGER ASS PEE POOPY RAPE]

if gamers can't rape and kill women and minorities in Grand Theft Auto VI, they're going to have to get their fix by doing it IRL instead.

 

[Denmark Mafia]

First they commit the atrocity of GTA Online and now Houser is leaving. Also GTA gameplay has been stale and shit for a while. (Still need to play RDR2).

 

[Exorbital Columnations]

It's always better to bail out before the rest of the passengers realize there's only so many parachutes.

 

[Bunny Tracks]

First they commit the atrocity of GTA Online and now Houser is leaving. Also GTA gameplay has been stale and shit for a while. (Still need to play RDR2).

It's not as fun as the first game, and a lot of things in the overworld directly contradict the supposed "realism" of it, but it's still pretty good. Just don't go into expecting to do whatever you want like you can in the first one.

Also, there's going to be no single-player DLC so I guess Undead Nightmare 2 isn't going to happen.

 

[Gravityqueen4life]

GTA V was a let down for me. never got into the online since it was broken for the longest time and no signal player dlc made me dislike V even more since that was what made GTA IV, a pretty average game overall, so much more enjoyable (gay Tony being one of the best dlcs ever made). only red dead game i played was revolver (i liked it) and redemption 2 just looks bland and boring too me.

 

[Spatula]

I really enjoyed RDR2, and I think this means that we won't get any story DLC. Which is a shame, the whole RDR1 map is in the game and stays locked for the majority of the single player. It has a lot of potential.

 

[SiccDicc]

I think 2016 to 2020 broke him in that he can't top the absurdity.

 

[HeyYou]

That really sucks. Dan actually really hit his stride in terms of writing in RDR2, the single player portion was incredible. I was semi hyped for GTA VI as a result. Even worse than that, though, is now he won't be writing Bully 2. The Housers were supposedly clashing with the highers ups as a result of the monetization practices, too, so I wouldn't be surprised if that was one of the reasons.

 

[Miller]

First Leslie Benzies, now Dan Houser? The future of Rockstar doesn't look good.

 

[Dom Cruise]

I want to believe something will be worked out and he will stay with Rockstar.

 

[Judge Holden]

if gamers can't rape and kill women and minorities in Grand Theft Auto VI, they're going to have to get their fix by doing it IRL instead.

>MFW I step out onto the streets and begin my dongo dick omega brute-fuck train on every femth0t I lay my mighty gamer eyes upon

 

[NIGGER ASS PEE POOPY RAPE]

GTA V was a let down for me. never got into the online since it was broken for the longest time and no signal player dlc made me dislike V even more since that was what made GTA IV, a pretty average game overall, so much more enjoyable (gay Tony being one of the best dlcs ever made).

there are mods that bring most if not all of GTA Online's weapons, vehicles, and even missions over to singleplayer GTAV. don't ask me for the links to these mods, I haven't played GTAV in a few years.

 

[Honka Honka Burning Love]

But will he be replaced by a WAH!mOnofCoLor?

 

[Elric of Melnibone]

Guess this means that Rockstar will join Bethesda as companies that once were great, but now are shit. This is a split very similer to when Julian Lefey left Bethesda putting Todd Howard in charge.

 

[Pissmaster]

Guess this means that Rockstar will join Bethesda as companies that once were great, but now are shit. This is a split very similer to when Julian Lefey left Bethesda putting Todd Howard in charge.

They're almost there already. GTA5 had single player DLC planned and in development, each one dedicated to each character, but it was all scrapped in favor of GTA Online content.

Also, GTA4 became quietly unlisted on Steam recently. No clue why, but you can't buy it anymore.

 

[Elric of Melnibone]

Also, GTA4 became quietly unlisted on Steam recently. No clue why, but you can't buy it anymore.

Probably due to the music licensing. They had that problem with Vice City as well, and solved it by removing over half the sound tract, same with San Andreas. Take 2 interactive is a wannabe Activision/EA and over the years has made strides to be a competitive thrid wheel to them at the expense of their customers. What I am taking from this is they were compromising on the offensive content by letting Take 2 drive the monitization, but now in the current climate Take 2 is probably cracking down on the offensive wrong think stuff as well. So first its Dan leaving, next will be Sam.

 

[Duncan Hills Coffee]

Also, GTA4 became quietly unlisted on Steam recently. No clue why, but you can't buy it anymore.

It's because of Games for Windows shutting down. Apparently it's no longer possible to generate additional keys so Rockstar needs to fix the game to get it working again. They confirmed it in this article.

GTA IV has disappeared from Steam because of Games for Windows Live

The service that started shutting down in 2013.

www.theverge.com

This is really fucking dumb though because from what I hear, GFW shut down in 2013. Rockstar had all this time to fix it but they never did and now they're scrambling to figure out how to sell a 12 year old game.

 

[JohnLenin]

RIP it was good while it lasted, not really sure how it'll affect any future games but I'd imagine quite bit considering his involvement. At least I now know for sure that any glimmer of hope that bully 2 would ever happen is gone.