Dan Houser

Last updated

Dan Houser
Dan Houser at Rockstar Games.png
Houser in the mid-2010s
Born
Daniel Houser

November 1973 (age 50–51)
London, England
Occupations
  • Video game producer
  • video game writer
Years active1995–present
SpouseKrystyna Jakubiak
Children3
Relatives Geraldine Moffat (mother)
Sam Houser (brother)

Daniel Houser (born November 1973) is an English video game writer and producer. [1] He is one of the co-founders of Rockstar Games alongside his brother Sam Houser. He served as the head writer and vice president of creativity [2] [3] until his resignation in 2020. His brother is the current president of Rockstar Games.

Contents

Prior to his departure from the company, Houser was regarded as the primary creative driving force behind much of Rockstar's output. [4] [5] [6] First serving as the sole writer for Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 (1997), he went on to become the lead writer for most titles in the Grand Theft Auto series, [3] [7] Red Dead Redemption (2010) and its 2018 prequel, Bully (2006), Midnight Club: Los Angeles (2008), and Max Payne 3 (2012).

Early life

Daniel Houser was born in London [8] in November 1973, [9] the son of actress Geraldine Moffat and solicitor Walter Houser. [10] [11] He was educated at St Paul's School and the University of Oxford, studying geography. [7] Despite wanting to be musicians, both Houser and his brother Sam (alongside whom he would later co-found Rockstar Games) had a fascination with storytelling from a young age. Growing up near a video library in London, they watched many American crime and cult films and Spaghetti Westerns. Houser has stated that he is a fan of the film The Warriors , [12] with Rockstar going on to release a video game adaptation of the film in 2005. [12]

Career

Early work and Rockstar Games

In 1995, Houser got a part-time job at BMG Interactive testing CD-ROMs; he became a full-time employee until 1996. [10] [13] Dan and Sam later became interested in a video game called Race'n'Chase which was being developed by DMA Design after getting a preview of the game. The Housers signed Race'n'Chase to BMG Interactive as the publisher and changed the name of the game to Grand Theft Auto . [14] Following the sale of BMG Interactive to Take-Two in 1998, Houser and his brother moved with the company to New York, where they founded Rockstar Games. [10] He has cited the 3D Mario and Zelda games on the Nintendo 64 as influences on his work. [15]

Houser has been credited as a producer for five Grand Theft Auto games, and also worked as a writer and voice artist for the series. [16] Despite the high profile of the Grand Theft Auto series, Houser and his brother have shied away from the celebrity spotlight, preferring to focus on the Rockstar Games brand rather than giving any one person the credit for the games' success. [17] In 2009, both Dan and Sam Houser appeared in Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2009 list. [18]

Houser and his brother were inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame in 2014. [19]

Departure from Rockstar and founding of Absurd Ventures

In February 2020, Rockstar Games' parent company, Take-Two Interactive, announced Houser's resignation from Rockstar Games. He left Rockstar on 11 March 2020, following an extended break in 2019. [20] [21] In February 2021, Houser registered two companies in Delaware: Absurd Ventures LLC and Absurd Ventures in Games LLC, the latter with a UK-based subsidiary in Altrincham. Houser is listed as the company's producer and creative director. [9] In June 2023, Houser officially announced his involvement in the studio, which he said will "create new universes" in video games, books, graphic novels, scripted podcasts, live-action, and animation. [22]

Other work

By September 2022, Houser joined the advisory board of Revolving Games, a blockchain game studio, after investing in a US$13.2 million funding round for the company; [23] Houser met co-founder Saad Zaeem some years earlier to explore ideas, but they ultimately chose different projects, leading Houser to become an adviser and investor instead. [24]

Personal life

Houser is married to entrepreneur and author Krystyna Jakubiak, [25] [26] with whom he previously lived in Truman Capote's former home in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York City. [27] [28] In 2020, they purchased Conan O'Brien's former home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. [25] They have three children, and own a holiday lodge along Saranac Lake, New York, built in the 1920s. [26] Houser holds both British and American citizenship. [9]

Works

Video Games

YearTitleRole(s)
1999 Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 Producer, writer
Grand Theft Auto 2 Writer
2000 X-Squad Voice actor
2001 Grand Theft Auto III Producer, voice actor, writer
Smuggler's Run 2: Hostile Territory Writer
2002 Smuggler's Run: Warzones Executive producer
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Producer, voice actor, writer
2004 Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Producer, voice actor, writer
2005 Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories Voice actor, writer
2006 Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories Executive producer, writer
Bully Writer
2008 Grand Theft Auto IV Writer
Midnight Club: Los Angeles Writer
2009 Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned Writer
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Writer
Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony Writer
2010 Red Dead Redemption [3] Executive producer, writer
Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare Writer
2011 L.A. Noire [3] Executive producer
2012 Max Payne 3 [3] Executive producer, writer
2013 Grand Theft Auto V [3] Executive producer, writer
2018 Red Dead Redemption 2 [29] Executive producer, writer
2019 Red Dead Online Executive producer, writer

Others

YearTitleRole(s)Notes
2024A Better Paradise: Volume 1: An AftermathWriter, creatorFiction podcast [30]

Related Research Articles

<i>Grand Theft Auto: Vice City</i> 2002 video game

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City is a 2002 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the fourth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2001's Grand Theft Auto III, and the sixth entry overall. Set in 1986 within the fictional Vice City, the single-player story follows mobster Tommy Vercetti's rise to power after being released from prison and becoming caught up in an ambushed drug deal. While seeking out those responsible, Tommy gradually builds a criminal empire by seizing power from other criminal organisations in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockstar Games</span> American video game publisher

Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Founding members of the company were Terry Donovan, Gary Foreman, Dan and Sam Houser, and Jamie King, who worked for Take-Two at the time, and of which the Houser brothers were previously executives at BMG Interactive. Sam Houser heads the studio as president.

<i>Grand Theft Auto III</i> 2001 video game

Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 1999's Grand Theft Auto 2, and the fifth instalment overall. Set within the fictional Liberty City, the story follows Claude, a silent protagonist who, after being left for dead by his girlfriend during a robbery, embarks on a quest for revenge leading him to become entangled in a world of crime, drugs, gang warfare, and corruption. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Its open world design lets players freely roam Liberty City, consisting of three main areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockstar North</span> British video game developer

Rockstar North is a British video game developer and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Edinburgh. The studio is best known for creating the Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto series, including Grand Theft Auto V, the second-best-selling game and most profitable entertainment product of all time.

<i>Grand Theft Auto 2</i> 1999 action-adventure game

Grand Theft Auto 2 is an action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games in October 1999 for the PlayStation and Windows, and the Dreamcast and Game Boy Color in 2000. It is the sequel to 1997's Grand Theft Auto, and the second main instalment of the Grand Theft Auto series. Set within a retrofuturistic metropolis known as "Anywhere City", the game focuses on players taking the role of a criminal as they roam an open world, conducting jobs for various crime syndicates and having free rein to do whatever they wish to achieve their goal. The game's intro is unique for a title in the series, as it involved live-action scenes filmed by Rockstar Games.

<i>Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas</i> 2004 video game

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the fifth main game in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2002's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and the seventh entry overall. Set within the fictional U.S. state of San Andreas, the game follows Carl "CJ" Johnson, who returns home after his mother's murder and finds his old street gang has lost much of their territory. Over the course of the game, he attempts to rebuild the gang, clashes with corrupt authorities and powerful criminals, and gradually unravels the truth behind his mother's murder.

<i>Grand Theft Auto</i> Video game series

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is an action-adventure video game series created by David Jones and Mike Dailly. Later titles were developed under the oversight of brothers Dan and Sam Houser, Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut. It is primarily developed by British development house Rockstar North, and published by its American parent company, Rockstar Games. The name of the series is a term for motor vehicle theft in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rockstar Leeds</span> British video game developer

Rockstar Leeds Limited is a British video game developer and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Leeds. Ian J. Bowden, Dave Box, Gordon Hall, and Jason McGann founded the company as Möbius Entertainment in December 1997 after working together at the studio Hookstone. Möbius worked with SCi on two games: Alfred's Adventure, a remake of Alfred Chicken, and the cancelled Titanium Angels. Starting in 2001, the studio created Game Boy Advance games for several publishers, including multiple for The 3DO Company and Max Payne for Rockstar Games.

<i>Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories</i> 2005 action-adventure game

Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories is a 2005 action-adventure game developed in a collaboration between Rockstar Leeds and Rockstar North, and published by Rockstar Games. The ninth installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, it was initially released as a PlayStation Portable exclusive in October 2005. A port for the PlayStation 2 was later released in June 2006. At the time of release, the recommended retail price of the PS2 port was around half the price of the PSP version, because the PS2 version does not feature the custom soundtrack ripping capability of the PSP version. Ports for iOS, Android and Fire OS devices were also released in December 2015, February 2016, and March 2016, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lazlow Jones</span> American writer and voice actor

Jeffrey Crawford "Lazlow" Jones is an American writer, producer, director, voice actor, and radio personality. He is best known for his work with Rockstar Games, with which he has worked on the Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, and Red Dead Redemption series and for his radio shows Technofile and The Lazlow Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hot Coffee (minigame)</span> Minigame in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

"Hot Coffee" is the unofficial name for a minigame in the 2004 action-adventure video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas by Rockstar Games. While it was not playable in the official game release, the modding community discovered hidden code that, when enabled, allows protagonist Carl "CJ" Johnson to have animated sexual intercourse with his in-game girlfriend.

<i>Grand Theft Auto IV</i> 2008 video game

Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and the eleventh entry overall. Set in the fictional Liberty City, based on New York City, the single-player story follows Eastern European war veteran Niko Bellic and his attempts to escape his past while under pressure from high-profile criminals. The open world design lets players freely roam Liberty City, consisting of three main islands, and the neighbouring state of Alderney, which is based on New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Houser</span> English video game producer (born 1971)

Sam Houser is an English video game producer. He is a co-founder and the current president of Rockstar Games, and is one of the creative driving forces behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise, having been its producer since the third game. His brother Dan was Rockstar's vice president of creativity until 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Benzies</span> Scottish video game producer

Leslie Peter Benzies is a Scottish video game producer and the former president of Rockstar North, a subsidiary of Rockstar Games. He was the lead developer on the Grand Theft Auto series, taking responsibility from Grand Theft Auto III to Grand Theft Auto V. Benzies left Rockstar in 2016, and was in a lawsuit with its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, over unpaid royalties from April 2016 to February 2019.

<i>Agent</i> (video game) Video game

Agent is an unreleased stealth action game under development by Rockstar North that was originally announced for the PlayStation 3. The game was planned to take place in a 1970s Cold War setting. Agent was teased in July 2007 and formally announced in June 2009. The trademark for the game's title was renewed in 2013 and 2017, and abandoned by November 2018.

<i>Grand Theft Auto V</i> 2013 video game

Grand Theft Auto V is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 2008's Grand Theft Auto IV, and the fifteenth instalment overall. Set within the fictional state of San Andreas, based on Southern California, the single-player story follows three protagonists—retired bank robber Michael De Santa, street gangster Franklin Clinton, and drug dealer and gunrunner Trevor Philips, and their attempts to commit heists while under pressure from a corrupt government agency and powerful criminals. Players freely roam San Andreas's open world countryside and fictional city of Los Santos, based on Los Angeles.

Development of <i>Grand Theft Auto V</i> Development of 2013 video game

A team of approximately 1,000 people developed Grand Theft Auto V over several years. Rockstar Games released the action-adventure game in September 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, in November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, in April 2015 for Windows, and in March 2022 for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. The first main Grand Theft Auto series entry since Grand Theft Auto IV, its development was led by Rockstar North's core 360-person team, who collaborated with several other international Rockstar studios. The team considered the game a spiritual successor to many of their previous projects like Red Dead Redemption and Max Payne 3. After its unexpected announcement in 2011, the game was fervently promoted with press showings, cinematic trailers, viral marketing strategies and special editions. Its release date, though subject to several delays, was widely anticipated.

<i>Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto</i> 2012 book by David Kushner

Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto is a 2012 book by David Kushner that describes the history of Grand Theft Auto and its founders Sam Houser and Dan Houser. It describes some of the controversies that the game went through, such as the legal feud with conservative activist Jack Thompson, and its continual attempts to push up against societal limits, and the attempt to cover up the Hot Coffee mod in the release of GTA: San Andreas.

<i>The Gamechangers</i> 2015 British docudrama

The Gamechangers is a 2015 British docudrama produced by the BBC. The programme is an unauthorised depiction of the controversies caused by Grand Theft Auto, a successful video game series, as various attempts were made to halt the production of the games.

<i>Grand Theft Auto VI</i> Upcoming video game

Grand Theft Auto VI is an upcoming video game in development by Rockstar Games. It is due to be the eighth main Grand Theft Auto game, following Grand Theft Auto V (2013), and the sixteenth entry overall. Set within the fictional open world state of Leonida—based on Florida—and its Miami-inspired Vice City, the story is expected to follow the criminal duo of Lucia and her male partner.

References

  1. ↑ Narcisse, Evan (3 May 2012). "The Max Payne Comics Will Explain Why Rockstar's Hard-Boiled Cop Is So Messed-Up". Kotaku . Archived from the original on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  2. ↑ Stahie, Silviu (20 October 2005). "Rockstar's Position on Critics". Softpedia . Archived from the original on 21 March 2007. Retrieved 12 April 2007.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Suellentrop, Chris (9 November 2012). "Americana at Its Most Felonious". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  4. ↑ Glennon, Jen (4 February 2020). "Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser set to leave company in March" . Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  5. ↑ Duncan, Rion (19 January 2021). "How Dan Houser & Lazlow's Departure Will Change GTA 6" . Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  6. ↑ Orland, Kyle (5 February 2020). "Take Two stock dips as Rockstar scribe Dan Houser announces departure" . Retrieved 13 December 2023.
  7. 1 2 Hill, Matt (7 September 2013). "Grand Theft Auto V: meet Dan Houser, architect of a gaming phenomenon". The Guardian . Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "28. Sam and Dan Houser | MediaGuardian 100 2010". The Guardian . 19 July 2010. Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 Scullion, Chris (2 July 2021). "Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser has founded a new studio". Video Games Chronicle . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 2 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 Mckelvey, Ben (27 December 2012). "Meet The Brains Behind Grand Theft Auto". Stuff.co.nz . Archived from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  11. ↑ Gavaghan, Julian (14 November 2012). "Behind Grand Theft Auto V: The 'Rockstar' creators of gaming's cult hit". Yahoo! News . Archived from the original on 17 November 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  12. 1 2 Schiesel, Seth (16 October 2005). "Gangs of New York". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 29 May 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  13. ↑ Gifford, Kevin (26 October 2011). "Rockstar's Dan Houser: Big in Japan?". 1Up.com . Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  14. ↑ McLaughlin, Rus; Thomas, Lucas M. (6 May 2013). "The History of Grand Theft Auto". IGN . Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
  15. ↑ Suellentrop, Chris (10 November 2012). "Americana at Its Most Felonious". The New York Times . Archived from the original on 10 November 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
  16. ↑ Lynch, Gerald (5 February 2020). "GTA 6 loses long-time writer and Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser". TechRadar . Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  17. ↑ P., Ryan (18 May 2012). "Gaming Gods: Dan and Sam Houser". The Gamer's Hub. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  18. ↑ Selman, Matt (30 April 2009). "Sam and Dan Houser – The 2009 Time 100". Time . Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  19. ↑ "D.I.C.E Special Awards". Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  20. ↑ Campbell, Colin (4 February 2020). "Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser leaving the company". Polygon . Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  21. ↑ Faulkner, Cameron (4 February 2020). "Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser is leaving the company". The Verge . Archived from the original on 6 July 2021. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
  22. ↑ Good, Owen S. (15 June 2023). "Rockstar founder announces new narrative studio". Polygon. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  23. ↑ Ivan, Tom (12 September 2022). "Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser invests in blockchain games studio, joins its advisory board". Video Games Chronicle . Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  24. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (9 September 2022). "Revolving Games raises $13.2M to make blockchain games with ex-Rockstar cofounder Dan Houser as an adviser". VentureBeat . Archived from the original on 9 September 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  25. 1 2 McClain, James (25 August 2020). "'Grand Theft Auto' Mastermind Dan Houser Skids Into $16.5 Million L.A. Estate". Variety . Archived from the original on 3 March 2021. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
  26. 1 2 Keltner de Valle, Jane (10 June 2020). "'Step Inside This New York City Family's Ultimate Adirondacks Lodge". Architectural Digest .
  27. ↑ Dutton, Fred (21 March 2012). "Rockstar boss buys Truman Capote's New York mansion". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
  28. ↑ Chaban, Matt (21 March 2012). "A Rockstar Record! Grand Theft Auto Creator Dan Houser Buys Truman Capote Mansion for $12.5 M." The New York Observer . Observer Media. Archived from the original on 15 February 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  29. ↑ Phillips, Tom (15 October 2018). "Rockstar attempts to defuse 100-hour work week controversy amid storm of criticism". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 16 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  30. ↑ Gutierrez, Luis Joshua (17 May 2024). "New Game From Former GTA Boss Will Be Introduced Via An Upcoming Audio Series". GameSpot . Retrieved 11 June 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.