A cofounder of the studio behind 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Red Dead Redemption' is leaving the company
- Rockstar Games cofounder Dan Houser will leave the company in March, according to an SEC filing from Rockstar's parent company, Take-two Interactive Software.
- Take-Two said Housing has been on an extended leave from the company since spring 2019 and will formally leave the company on March 11.
- Rockstar Games created some of the best-selling games of all-time under Houser's leadership, including the wildly popular "Grand Theft Auto" and "Red Dead Redemption" franchises.
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Take-Two Interactive has announced that Rockstar Games cofounder Dan Houser will leave the company he started with his brother Sam Houser more than two decades ago. Houser has been on extended leave from Rockstar since spring 2019, and March 11, 2020 will be his final day at the company.
Take-Two, which owns Rockstar, revealed Houser's departure in an SEC report filed on February 4, Sam Houser will stay in his role as Rockstar Games president.
"We are extremely grateful for his contributions," Take-Two said in the report. "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."
Dan Houser was the Vice President of Rockstar Games' creative division, and under his leadership the company created some of the most critically acclaimed video games series of all-time, including "Grand Theft Auto" and "Red Dead Redemption."
Rockstar's latest release, "Red Dead Redemption 2," was the best-selling game of 2018 while "Grand Theft Auto V," first released in 2013, has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide. The studio has regularly garnered critical acclaim for creating massive open-world environments with detailed characters and mature storytelling.
Though Rockstar has seen critical and financial success throughout its history, the company has also been accused of promoting unhealthy work conditions. Shortly after the release of "Red Dead Redemption 2," Houser told New York Magazine's Vulture that Rockstar employees were working 100-hour weeks to finish the game. A few employees came to Rockstar's defense, and Houser said that no one was forced to work "crunch" hours. However, the situation called attention to a common industry trend of overworking employees.
Rockstar is still providing ongoing updates to "Red Dead Redemption 2" and "Grand Theft Auto V," and no upcoming projects have been announced.
