Former Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser, who departed the company in 2020 after more than two decades shaping iconic franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, recently offered insights into Grand Theft Auto 6 and the reasons behind the unfulfilled development of Bully 2.
Speaking at Los Angeles Comic Con, Houser addressed his perspective on Grand Theft Auto 6, which marks the first main installment in the series developed without his direct involvement. He expressed a profound sense of privilege for his past contributions, stating, “I wrote the last 10 or 11 of them, so I think the world`s probably had enough GTA from me.” Despite his absence from its creation, he anticipates an exciting and “great” game featuring a fresh narrative and new characters.
Regarding the highly anticipated sequel to the 2006 title Bully, Houser clarified that “bandwidth issues” were the primary impediment to its realization. He explained that managing a small lead creative team and senior leadership made it challenging to pursue all desired projects simultaneously. “You just can`t do all the projects you want… [We were] trying to do two projects with a very fairly small team, and just really trying to think through that,” he elaborated on the difficult decision-making process.
When prompted to name a favorite game from his tenure at Rockstar, Houser found it challenging but ultimately highlighted Red Dead Redemption 2 as “the best thing that I worked on.” He lauded it as “the best single kind of realization of open-world storytelling, thematic consistency, and and understanding how the games are assembled to take you on an an emotional journey.” He also acknowledged Grand Theft Auto 4, Grand Theft Auto 5, Bully, and the original Red Dead Redemption as particularly memorable experiences.
Looking to the future, Houser`s new venture, Absurd Ventures, is preparing to release a comic book miniseries titled American Caper through Dark Horse Comics on November 12. Additionally, Absurd Ventures is developing its inaugural video games: an untitled “open-world third-person comedy” and A Better Paradise, which he described as a “third-person dystopian tragedy.” Both gaming projects are currently in their early stages of development.