Rockstar Games Acquires New Studio

Rockstar Games announced this morning the acquisition of a new development studio. The team in question actually has a lot of past experience working with Rockstar, which should make it a natural fit for the company. Video Games Deluxe is a developer based in Sydney, and was founded by Brendan McNamara, who previously founded Team Bondi. Team Bondi was the developer behind Rockstar’s L.A. Noire, but the studio shut its doors shortly after. In 2013, McNamara founded Video Games Deluxe, which worked on both L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files, and the 2017 re-release of L.A. Noire. Following the acquisition, Video Games Deluxe will operate under a new name: Rockstar Australia.

“It’s been an honor to work closely with Rockstar Games this past decade,” McNamara said in a press release. “We are thrilled to be a part of Rockstar Games and to continue our efforts to make the best games possible.”

Rockstar’s acquisition of Video Games Deluxe is the end of a long and interesting saga. While L.A. Noire was a critical success, the game’s development was a mess, taking years to complete. After its release, information about crunch at Team Bondi leaked online from several employees. Speaking to GamesIndustry.biz in 2011, one employee said that a fracture grew between Rockstar and Team Bondi throughout development. Apparently, Rockstar had considered acquiring Team Bondi, and the experience on L.A. Noire made them rethink the decision.

“It’s also worth pointing out that Rockstar used to be very keen on making Team Bondi something like ‘Rockstar Sydney’ – the more they worked with Team Bondi management, the more they came to understand that this was a terrible idea,” one source told GamesIndustry.biz in 2011.

Fast forward 14 years later, and it appears the relationship between McNamara and Rockstar is in a much better place now. While Team Bondi never became Rockstar Sydney, McNamara’s Video Games Deluxe is now Rockstar Australia. Projects between Rockstar and Video Games Deluxe seem to have gone much smoother than L.A. Noire‘s development. In addition to the re-release of the game, and L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files, Video Games Deluxe also worked on “upgrades to” Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. In a press release, Rockstar Games head of publishing Jennifer Kolbe shared her enthusiasm for the acquisition.

“After working together closely over many years, we are excited to have Video Games Deluxe join the team as Rockstar Australia,” said Kolbe.

RELATED: GTA 6 Still Planned for 2025 Release, Says Rockstar Games Boss

Hopefully the partnership between these two companies will prove the best for everyone involved. At this time, it has not been revealed what Rockstar Australia will be working on next, now that it’s an official part of the company. However, with Rockstar’s main focus being Grand Theft Auto 6, there’s a chance McNamara’s team could have some kind of involvement.

How do you feel about Rockstar’s acquisition of Video Games Deluxe? Do you think the decision makes sense for the two companies? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!