Dan Houser, Rockstar games co-founder and one of the chief creative forces that transformed Grand Theft Auto into an unstoppable financial juggernaut, reckons that there's "always that danger" that the games industry will become "overly focussed on making money."
Speaking on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch to promote his recently released novel (via GamesRadar), Houser was asked where gaming can go by cohosts Tim Lovejoy and Simon Rimmer. "As with all things, it can go somewhere really interesting, or somewhere that gets overly focussed on making money."
Continuing, Houser added: I think there's always that danger with any commercial artform that they get distracted by money. But I think there's still a big ceiling creatively to make these living narrative experiences."
Now, there's a lot to unpack here. First, it's weird to see Houser on Sunday Brunch in the first place. If you're unfamiliar with the Channel 4 institution, it's a cooking show/celebrity interview vehicle whose target audience is people with hangovers and your mum.
It's the kind of airy, light entertainment show where any chat about video games is almost guaranteed to be surreal and cringe-inducingly awkward. Houser's appearance proves no exception to this rule, as the hosts field questions like: "You're basically partaking in crime, aren't you?" My favourite exchange comes just before Houser's answer about the industry's tension between artistry and profit, where Lovejoy asks the incisive question: "Where can it go?"
Perplexed, Houser leans forward: "Where can what go?"
"Gaming," both hosts say simultaneously.
Second, it's weird to hear Houser, who just to remind you was lead writer and VP of Creative on what Wikipedia ranks as the fifth bestselling video game franchise of all time, fret about the games industry transforming into a cynical money-spinning machine. It's also worth noting that, when asked which will win out between creative expression and money grabbing, Houser response is "I think they'll both win," adding "I think there will be two paths—we've already seen that in spaces in the games industry, where they both kind of win."
But perhaps the weirdest thing of all is, he's right! Houser's concerns may smack of closing the door after the horse has bolted, stumbled into a ravine, and landed in the open jaws of a giant alligator, but his statement is not wrong. It's why the industry has been battered by years of brutal layoffs, why the start menu for every big-budget game looks like the window of a discount store, why executives are falling over themselves to praise and defend using generative AI in their workflows.
And I don't think Houser is being entirely hypocritical, either. While Rockstar's games have made truly obscene amounts of money, there has always been a clear creative vision behind them. It isn't one I've always agreed with, finding later Rockstar games too nihilistic and more interested in raw world simulation than using that simulation to create interesting play scenarios. But it isn't like Rockstar shovels out annual Grand Theft Autos to squeeze as much green from the name as it can—unlike Activision's approach with Call of Duty.
Of course, this doesn't excuse Rockstar's recent behaviour toward its employees, with the studio having been accused of 'the most ruthless act of union busting in the history of the UK games industry' after it fired between 30 and 40 employees working at various Rockstar offices, all of whom happened to be part of a private trade union chat group on Discord. Since the firing, Rockstar has faced protests outside of its Edinburgh office, and legal action from the Independent Workers of Great Britain, who believe the terminations amount to "victimisation and collective dismissal linked to trade union activity."
