Rockstar Games co-founder on why GTA didn't come back to a London setting
'the game was so much about America'

Date:
Mon, 03 Nov 2025 12:41:07 +0000

FULL STORY

Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser has discussed the Grand Theft Auto
series in a new interview.

In addition to co-founding Rockstar with his brother, Houser served as a
writer for Grand Theft Auto 2, Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, and Grand Theft Auto 5 , in addition to both Red Dead Redemption games.

Speaking with podcaster Lex Fridman , Houser explained why the GTA games haven't returned to a setting like London, which previously appeared in the 1997 Grand Theft Auto expansion pack London 1969 .

"We made a little thing in London 26 years ago," he said. "That was pretty
cute and fun, as the first mission pack ever for [the first] PlayStation."

When it comes to the main games, however, Houser explained that "we always decided that there so much Americana inherent in the [franchise], it would be really hard to make it work in London or anywhere else."

"You needed guns, you needed these larger-than-life- characters," he added.
"It just felt like the game was so much about America, possibly from an outsider's perspective [...] it wouldn't really have worked in the same way elsewhere."

Houser resigned from Rockstar in 2020, going on to found a new studio called Absurd Ventures.

It's currently unclear who is writing the next GTA game, Grand Theft Auto 6 , which is set to launch in May next year for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X
and Series S .

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/gaming/rockstar-games-co-founder-on-why-gta-didnt-co me-back-to-a-london-setting-the-game-was-so-much-about-america

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