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 in March. News of the departure comes from a Take-Two Interactive SEC report.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."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:
“After an extended break beginning in the spring of 2019, Dan Houser, Vice President, Creative at Rockstar Games, will be leaving the company. Dan Houser’s last day will be March 11, 2020. 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."
Take-Two's Q3 FY2020 investor call is scheduled to take place on February 6 where we will be tuning in for additional comments about Dan Houser's departure from the company.
February 5 Update, 1:24 PM ET: Added a link to the Take-Two Interactive SEC report, added full comment on departure from SEC report, and a note about Take-Two's Q3 FY2020 investor call.
Matt Kim is a reporter for IGN. You can reach him on Twitter.