When Grand Theft Auto found success in 1997, it brought unexpected and ruthless consequences. The game was released on several platforms, including MS-DOS, Windows, the PlayStation, and Game Boy Color, but it probably got the most attention on Sony’s new console. That’s where most players were introduced to GTA’s unique style of committing violent crimes to gain status among the three criminal underworlds of GTA’s expansive world. The game was commercially successful, leading to widespread expansion that continues to this day, but it nearly crashed and burned before it could become established.
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On November 26, 2025, Rockstar alum Dan Houser sat for an interview on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio and explained that GTA’s success brought the U.S. government down hard on the studio. Houser, who co-founded Rockstar Games and was responsible for writing and producing the studio’s biggest titles, detailed how the game’s success brought unwanted attention. In the late 1990s, video games were still seen as primarily meant for children, but Rockstar’s approach of targeting adults seemed to go over the government’s head. This drew ire from those who claimed GTA was harming kids, so the game’s success bred significant problems.
The U.S. Government Went After Rockstar Games Over GTA’s Themes
When Evans asked Hauser if the phrase “success solves all problems” applied to Rockstar, he quickly responded, “No, that was not our experience at all. Our experience was [that] success created loads of problems. It was just worth it to have fun and do what you would do.” He went on to explain that the game’s success got the attention of the U.S. government, which decided that they “were the only people on the Internet peddling pornography, apparently, which was ridiculous. And they nearly shut us down; we got fined a huge amount of money. It was very disruptive to the company, and some of my team members quit, and it was really tough.”
You’ve probably heard some lawmakers claim that violent video games make people violent, and GTA was a prime example they pointed to in the late ‘90s. The claim was that Rockstar had violated public decency laws, potentially harming the nation’s youth. Hauser leveled blame at centrist Democrats who wanted a boogeyman, so they chose Rockstar and its parent company, Take-Two. Part of the problem involved a hidden sex mini-game in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas that modders found, which led to the game being reclassified from Mature to Adults Only, getting it yanked from shelves in many stores across the U.S.
In the end, Rockstar had to re-edit and re-release the game at a cost of around $50 million (Around $86 million in 2025), so while the company avoided a direct fine, it still cost them. While it’s surprising to look back at the original GTA and its top-down perspective and 32-bit graphics, which are hardly comparable to modern games, it was nonetheless a purveyor of filth in the minds of many. Compare that to Grand Theft Auto V, and it’s a nursery rhyme by comparison. Thankfully, Rockstar didn’t just stick to its format — the company effectively defined adult-themed gaming in the commercial marketplace. While some still decry it as vile, plenty more shell out tons of cash to play whatever Rockstar releases.
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