Rockstar Co-Founder’s Comments on GTA Don’t Make Sense

The co-founder and former lead writer of Rockstar has a firm belief about how Grand Theft Auto games should work, but I think he’s mistaken about a key element of the franchise. Since 1997, GTA has been a major bedrock in mainstream gaming. Beyond two spin-offs tied to the original release, however, the entire series has been very rooted in the American culture and experience.

This is very purposeful on the part of Rockstar Games, with one of the founders of the studio explaining as much during a recent interview. He even suggests that a full GTA experience only works in America. However, I’d argue it only speaks to the unrealized potential of the series, and that a more global approach to Grand Theft Auto could open the door to plenty of new directions for the long-running franchise.

Dan Houser’s GTA Comments, Explained

Rockstar co-founder/former lead writer Dan Houser was speaking on the Lex Fridman podcast about the evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series over the years and reflected on the very American presentation of the game — arguing that the series only really works in the United States. Outside of the Grand Theft Auto: London expansion packs for the original game in the series, every entry in GTA has been set in some location riffing on American locales like New York City, Miami, or Los Angeles.

According to Houser, the London focus was a “cute and fun” expansion that worked as a short burst of levels for the first game. However, he then explained that “I think for a full GTA game, we always decided there was so much Americana inherent in the IP, it would be really hard to make it work in London or anywhere else… you needed guns, you needed these larger-than-life characters. It just felt like the game was so much about America, possibly from an outsider’s perspective. But that was so much about what the thing was that it wouldn’t really have worked in the same way elsewhere.”

There’s a point to be made there, especially in the game’s easy access to firearms, reflecting the common nature of weapons in the United States. There’s a certain amount of natural showiness that naturally fits the United States that is always in GTA games. However, the idea that the GTA formula wouldn’t work in other locations seems to be discounting the potential to bring the Rockstar storytelling ethos to other nations and give different cultures the GTA treatment.

Why GTA Doesn’t Need To Be American

On a certain level, Houser has a point about the structure of the GTA series easily fitting the US. There’s a certain bombast that goes with the series and its portrayal of American culture that is fitting for the usually ostentatious nation. Especially in its depiction of specific eras, GTA has been great about infusing certain American eras into their games. The big colors of Miami Vice are a far cry from the more expansive streets of San Andres. A culture of big names, bigger egos, and impossible ambitions makes perfect sense as a satire about the United States, justifying all of GTA‘s necessary larger-than-life characters.

However, that’s not a trait that’s wholly unique to the Americas. Plenty of cultures have a lived-in criminal scene or a history of colorful personalities, which could be plenty of inspiration for a GTA title. The British crime scene has justified plenty of attention over the years in film and television, and the GTA: London expansion had a lot of fun placing the game in a specific period of English history. Likewise, other nations like France, China, and India could easily have enough social satire potential, expansive locations, and colorful characters to fill out a GTA title.

There’s also an emphasis on international characters in several entries of the series, whether that be the Cuban and Haitian gangs that appear in GTA: Vice City or the themes about Syrian refugees inherent to GTA 4. Seeing the immigrants’ perspective and interactions with America is a key element of those stories, but it could be just as compelling to return to their home nations and explore them with the exaggerated tone of a GTA title.

America’s place as a cultural touchstone for the larger world adds plenty of motivation to root the game in the US, but the unique ubiquity of locations like Brazil, Tokyo, or London could easily justify the same kind of colorful criminal action. It could also allow the series to branch out in some exciting ways and expand the appeal of the series. While GTA has always benefited from an American focus and thematic exploration, it could be a compelling experiment to shift the action to somewhere unexpected.

I don’t think Dan Houser is wrong to think that Grand Theft Auto has a distinctly American tenor and tone, but I disagree that it would only work in the US. Game franchises like Yakuza and Far Cry have explored similar themes in very different locations, reflecting different cultures while staying true to the sense of satirical power, bombastic personality, and over-the-top violence that is necessary for a good GTA. I think, similar to Grand Theft Auto: London 1969, there’s a lot of fun to be had by taking the franchise elsewhere.