'It'll Be Great': Rockstar GTA 6 Finally Gets Co-Founder's Explosive First Words

The hype around Grand Theft Auto 6 has been building to a fever pitch, fuelled by leaked trailers and endless speculation. Now, fans have something concrete to grasp onto: the explosive first words from a co-founder of Rockstar Games on the highly anticipated title.

After years of near-silence, the promise for the next iteration of the landmark franchise is more apparent than ever.

Dan Houser, the co-founder of the studio behind GTA, Red Dead Redemption, and other major titles, has finally given his first on-camera interview. This monumental event for fans of the developer took place at LA Comic Con, before an audience attending in person and viewers tuning in globally through a streamed broadcast.

Silence Broken: Houser Speaks

The interview, titled In Conversation with Dan Houser: Grand Theft Auto, Red Dead Redemption, and Now American Caper, featured IGN's Senior Executive Editor, Ryan McCaffrey, speaking with Houser on a variety of subjects. The conversation covered everything from his past work, like writing for Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, to the forthcoming ventures at his new company, Absurd Ventures.

The interview lasted approximately 15 minutes, a relatively brief period. Nevertheless, this is significant for one of the Houser brothers. Since founding Rockstar Games, the pair have largely stayed out of the public eye. They only surface for uncommon announcements, such as when Sam confirmed the GTA 6 trailer. Beyond those brief comments, their games typically speak for themselves.

Now that Dan has left the company, following his surprise departure in 2020, he has become more visible, discussing his new studio and upcoming projects. He will soon participate in a more in-depth, multi-hour interview with Lex Fridman.

Houser on 'GTA 6': 'It'll Be Great'

First off, Ryan asked Dan if it would feel unusual to play GTA 6 without knowing all the game's secrets. In response, Dan stated, 'In a way (it will be strange)'.

'I think it be a great privilege to have worked on something that big. I wrote the last 10 or 11 of them. I think world had enough GTA from me. They're always a new story. It won't be a story I wrote or a character set I developed but I think it will be exciting. The game will be great I'm sure'.

The following questions returned to the early days of the studio. Specifically, the conversation touched on how Take-Two, the publisher, was dealing with financial problems, and how many people initially doubted GTA III.

He explained his view: 'We thought we had something exciting (the move to 3D for GTA III). The rest of the world did not seem to agree with us. They seemed completely underwhelmed by something we thought had the potential to be amazing. Some of the press still didn't quite get it, but the audience did'.

Upon release, Take-Two simply lacked the funds to press enough discs quickly. The game had completely sold out. Dan recalled the frenzy: 'We couldn't make the game quick enough. It just kept rolling. We kept thinking it would stop and it just never stopped. I live a pretty normal life. I love making stuff'.

No Role in the New Story

Houser also confirmed he had no part in the story or character development for the upcoming game. He departed from Rockstar in February 2020, more than five years ago, after having defined the studio's narrative voice across twelve Grand Theft Auto titles, as well as both Red Dead Redemption games.

His departure led to fan concern over whether Rockstar's most crucial franchise could keep up its sharp dialogue and intricate world-building without him. Pre-production on GTA 6 reportedly started before his exit, so speculation persisted that he might have at least drafted initial concepts. Houser has now settled that argument.

A New Era for Vice City

Dan Houser's unequivocal blessing that 'The game will be great' offers enormous reassurance to fans eagerly awaiting the next iteration of the franchise.

While the former mastermind won't be shaping the new narrative, his words cement the confidence that Rockstar Games is steering the flagship series toward another guaranteed success, marking an exciting new chapter for the developer and the world of Grand Theft Auto.