Dan Houserco-founder of Rockstar Games, spoke about the reasons for his departure from the legendary studio behind the sagas GTA And Red Dead Redemption. Exhausted by the scale of the studio’s latest projects, he decided to turn the page to devote himself to new creative ambitions with his own structure, Absurd Ventures.
Colossal projects with serious consequences
In an interview with the BBC, Dan Houser looks back on the overwhelming workload that GTA 5 and Red Dead Redemption 2 represented. According to him, these two games reached an unprecedented scale, mobilizing extraordinary human, technical and creative resources. He cites in particular the impressive figure of 450,000 lines of dialogue recorded for RDR2, proof of the level of detail expected in these video game blockbusters.
Houser admits he’s not sure he still has the energy to complete another project of this scale. “These games take several years of your life. They swallow up all your time,” he confides. This observation was decisive in his desire to leave Rockstar in 2020.
Absurd Ventures: a new creative era
Since his departure, Dan Houser has founded Absurd Venturesa studio aiming to create new transmedia universes. His first work, a novel entitled A Better Paradisewill be published in early 2026. The ambition does not stop there: Houser plans to expand this universe through video games, comics, animated series and live-action projects.
This shift marks a return to a creative freedom that Houser seems to claim. No more billionaire licenses with overwhelming expectations: he now wants to build something new, personal, outside of big franchises.
GTA 6 without Houser: the transition of a legend
Concerning GTA 6, Houser confirms that he is not involved in the writing. He nevertheless says he is curious and enthusiastic about discovering the work of his former colleagues. “I think it will be exciting,” he says, adding with humility that “the world has probably had enough of [sa] leaves.”
This handover symbolizes the end of an era at Rockstar. Remember that Dan Houser was credited on almost all of the studio’s major games, shaping the narrative identity of GTA, Max Payne or Red Dead for more than two decades.
A reflection on the video game industry
Beyond his personal journey, Dan Houser implicitly raises a broader problem:unsustainability of AAA development. The video game industry, regularly criticized for its “crunch” and burn-out practices, pushes even its greatest creators to the limit. Houser chose to withdraw before reaching a breaking point.
His testimony offers valuable insight into the realities behind video game blockbusters. It also illustrates the difficulty of reconciling artistic ambition and reasonable production conditions in a rapidly changing sector.