Dan Houser Explained

Dan Houser
Birth Name:Daniel Houser
Birth Place:London, England
Years Active:1995–present
Spouse:Krystyna Jakubiak
Relatives:Geraldine Moffat (mother)
Sam Houser (brother)

Daniel Houser (born November 1973) is an English video game writer and producer.[1] He is a co-founder of Rockstar Games, where he served as the head writer and vice president of creativity[2] until his resignation in 2020. His brother Sam is the president of Rockstar. Prior to his departure from the company, Houser was regarded as the primary creative driving force behind much of Rockstar's output.[3] [4] [5] First serving as the sole writer for (1997), he went on to become the lead writer for most titles in the Grand Theft Auto series,[6] [7] Red Dead Redemption (2010) and its 2018 prequel, Bully (2006), (2008), and Max Payne 3 (2012).

Early life

Daniel Houser was born in London[8] in November 1973, the son of actress Geraldine Moffat and solicitor Walter Houser.[9] [10] He was educated at St Paul's School and the University of Oxford, studying geography. Despite wanting to be musicians, both Houser and his brother Sam (alongside whom he would later co-found Rockstar Games) had a fascination with storytelling from a young age. Growing up near a video library in London, they watched many American crime and cult films and Spaghetti Westerns. Houser has stated that he is a fan of the film The Warriors,[11] with Rockstar going on to release a video game adaptation of the film in 2005.

Career

Early work and Rockstar Games

In 1995, Houser got a part-time job at BMG Interactive testing CD-ROMs; he became a full-time employee until 1996.[12] Dan and Sam later became interested in a video game called Race'n'Chase which was being developed by DMA Design after getting a preview of the game. The Housers signed Race'n'Chase to BMG Interactive as the publisher and changed the name of the game to Grand Theft Auto.[13] Following the sale of BMG Interactive to Take-Two in 1998, Houser and his brother moved with the company to New York, where they founded Rockstar Games. He has cited the 3D Mario and Zelda games on the Nintendo 64 as influences on his work.[14]

Houser has been credited as a producer for five Grand Theft Auto games, and also worked as a writer and voice artist for the series.[15] Despite the high profile of the Grand Theft Auto series, Houser and his brother have shied away from the celebrity spotlight, preferring to focus on the Rockstar Games brand rather than giving any one person the credit for the games' success.[16] In 2009, both Dan and Sam Houser appeared in Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2009 list.[17]

Houser and his brother were inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame in 2014.[18]

Departure from Rockstar and founding of Absurd Ventures

In February 2020, Rockstar Games' parent company, Take-Two Interactive, announced Houser's resignation from Rockstar Games. He left Rockstar on 11 March 2020, following an extended break in 2019.[19] [20] In February 2021, Houser registered two companies in Delaware: Absurd Ventures LLC and Absurd Ventures in Games LLC, the latter with a UK-based subsidiary in Altrincham. Houser is listed as the company's producer and creative director.[21] In June 2023, Houser officially announced his involvement in the studio, which he said will "create new universes" in video games, books, graphic novels, scripted podcasts, live-action, and animation.[22]

Other work

By September 2022, Houser joined the advisory board of Revolving Games, a blockchain game studio, after investing in a funding round for the company;[23] Houser met co-founder Saad Zaeem some years earlier to explore ideas, but they ultimately chose different projects, leading Houser to become an adviser and investor instead.[24]

Personal life

Houser is married to Russian actress Krystyna Jakubiak, with whom he previously lived in Truman Capote's former home in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of New York City.[25] [26] In 2020, they purchased Conan O'Brien's former home in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles.[27] Houser holds both British and American citizenship.

Works

Video Games

YearTitleRole(s)
1999Producer, writer
Grand Theft Auto 2Writer
2000X-SquadVoice actor
2001Grand Theft Auto IIIProducer, voice actor, writer
Writer
2002Executive producer
Producer, voice actor, writer
2004Producer, voice actor, writer
2005Voice actor, writer
2006Executive producer, writer
BullyWriter
2008Grand Theft Auto IVWriter
Writer
2009Writer
Writer
Writer
2010Red Dead RedemptionExecutive producer, writer
Writer
2011L.A. NoireExecutive producer
2012Max Payne 3Executive producer, writer
2013Grand Theft Auto VExecutive producer, writer
2018Red Dead Redemption 2[28] Executive producer, writer
2019Red Dead OnlineExecutive producer, writer

Others

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Max Payne Comics Will Explain Why Rockstar's Hard-Boiled Cop Is So Messed-Up . Evan . Narcisse . 3 May 2012 . . 17 September 2013 . 29 November 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151129130804/http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/05/the-max-payne-comics-will-explain-why-rockstars-hard-boiled-cop-is-so-messed-up/ . live.
  2. Web site: Rockstar's Position on Critics . Stahie . Silviu . 20 October 2005 . . 12 April 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070321023329/http://news.softpedia.com/news/Rockstar-s-Position-on-Critics-10805.shtml . 21 March 2007 . dead.
  3. News: Glennon . Jen . 4 February 2020 . Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser set to leave company in March . 13 December 2023.
  4. News: Duncan . Rion . 19 January 2021 . How Dan Houser & Lazlow's Departure Will Change GTA 6 . 13 December 2023.
  5. News: Orland . Kyle . 5 February 2020 . Take Two stock dips as Rockstar scribe Dan Houser announces departure . 13 December 2023.
  6. News: Suellentrop . Chris . 9 November 2012 . Americana at Its Most Felonious . . 18 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161220223947/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/10/arts/video-games/q-and-a-rockstars-dan-houser-on-grand-theft-auto-v.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 . 20 December 2016 . live.
  7. News: Hill . Matt . 7 September 2013 . Grand Theft Auto V: meet Dan Houser, architect of a gaming phenomenon . . 14 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130908031017/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/sep/07/grand-theft-auto-dan-houser . 8 September 2013 . live.
  8. Web site: 28. Sam and Dan Houser MediaGuardian 100 2010 . 19 July 2010 . . 17 September 2013 . 15 August 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170815070357/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/jul/19/sam-and-dan-houser-mediaguardian-100-2010 . live.
  9. Web site: Meet The Brains Behind Grand Theft Auto . Ben . Mckelvey . 27 December 2012 . . 2 April 2013 . 6 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210706101622/https://www.stuff.co.nz/static/spade/fonts/roboto-v20-latin_latin-ext/roboto-v20-latin_latin-ext-italic.woff2 . live.
  10. Web site: Behind Grand Theft Auto V: The 'Rockstar' creators of gaming's cult hit . Julian . Gavaghan . 14 November 2012 . . 3 February 2013 . 17 November 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121117051224/http://uk.news.yahoo.com/behind-grand-theft-auto-v--the--rockstar--creators-of-gaming-s-cult-hit.html . live.
  11. News: Schiesel . Seth . 16 October 2005 . Gangs of New York . . 18 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150529183049/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/16/arts/gangs-of-new-york.html . 29 May 2015 . live.
  12. Web site: Rockstar's Dan Houser: Big in Japan? . Kevin . Gifford . 26 October 2011 . . 8 April 2014 . 27 April 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140427082450/http://www.1up.com/news/rockstar-dan-houser-big-japan . dead.
  13. Web site: The History of Grand Theft Auto . Rus . McLaughlin . Lucas M. . Thomas . 6 May 2013 . . 8 April 2014 . 22 February 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222211733/http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/05/06/ign-presents-the-history-of-grand-theft-auto-2 . live.
  14. Web site: Americana at Its Most Felonious . Chris . Suellentrop . 10 November 2012 . . 18 February 2017 . 10 November 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121110091527/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/10/arts/video-games/q-and-a-rockstars-dan-houser-on-grand-theft-auto-v.html . live.
  15. Web site: GTA 6 loses long-time writer and Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser . Lynch . Gerald . 5 February 2020 . . 5 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200206160743/https://www.techradar.com/news/gta-6-loses-long-time-rockstar-leader-dan-houser . 6 February 2020 . live.
  16. Web site: Gaming Gods: Dan and Sam Houser . Ryan . P. . 18 May 2012 . The Gamer's Hub . 19 March 2013 . 20 May 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120520211124/http://thegamershub.net/2012/05/gaming-gods-dan-and-sam-houser/ . dead.
  17. Sam and Dan Houser – The 2009 Time 100 . Matt . Selman . 30 April 2009 . . 19 March 2013 . 26 August 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130826201022/http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1894410_1893836_1894428,00.html . dead.
  18. Web site: D.I.C.E Special Awards . 22 January 2017 . 2 February 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170202013254/http://www.interactive.org/special_awards/details.asp?idSpecialAwards=30 . live.
  19. Web site: Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser leaving the company . Colin . Campbell . 4 February 2020 . . 4 February 2020 . 18 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200918155332/https://www.polygon.com/2020/2/4/21123170/dan-houser-departs-rockstar-games-red-dead-gta . live.
  20. Web site: Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser is leaving the company . Cameron . Faulkner . 4 February 2020 . . 25 February 2020 . 6 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210706101635/https://www.theverge.com/2020/2/4/21123171/rockstar-games-co-founder-dan-houser-leaves-steps-down . live.
  21. Web site: Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser has founded a new studio . Chris . Scullion . 2 July 2021 . . . 3 July 2021 . 2 July 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210702094732/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/rockstar-co-founder-dan-houser-has-founded-a-new-studio/ . live.
  22. Web site: Good . Owen S. . 2023-06-15 . Rockstar founder announces new narrative studio . 2023-06-16 . Polygon . en-US.
  23. Web site: Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser invests in blockchain games studio, joins its advisory board . Ivan . Tom . . . 12 September 2022 . 14 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220912154341/https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/rockstar-co-founder-dan-houser-invests-in-blockchain-games-studio-joins-its-advisory-board/ . 12 September 2022 . live .
  24. Web site: Revolving Games raises $13.2M to make blockchain games with ex-Rockstar cofounder Dan Houser as an adviser . Takahashi . Dean . . 9 September 2022 . 14 September 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220909130107/https://venturebeat.com/games/revolving-games-raises-13-2m-to-make-blockchain-games-with-ex-rockstar-cofounder-dan-houser-as-an-adviser/ . 9 September 2022 . live .
  25. Web site: Rockstar boss buys Truman Capote's New York mansion . Fred . Dutton . 21 March 2012 . . 5 July 2013 . 23 November 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201123115857/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-03-21-rockstar-boss-buys-truman-capotes-new-york-mansion . live.
  26. News: Chaban . Matt . 21 March 2012 . A Rockstar Record! Grand Theft Auto Creator Dan Houser Buys Truman Capote Mansion for $12.5 M. . . . 8 February 2020 . 15 February 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200215183548/https://observer.com/2012/03/a-rockstar-record-grand-theft-auto-creator-dan-houser-buys-truman-capote-mansion-for-12-5-m/ . live.
  27. Web site: 'Grand Theft Auto' Mastermind Dan Houser Skids Into $16.5 Million L.A. Estate . James . McClain . 25 August 2020 . . 6 July 2021 . 3 March 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210303034613/https://variety.com/2020/dirt/moguls/grand-theft-auto-mastermind-dan-houser-skids-into-16-5-million-l-a-estate-1234748200/ . live.
  28. Web site: Rockstar attempts to defuse 100-hour work week controversy amid storm of criticism . Phillips . Tom . 15 October 2018 . . 20 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181016142850/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2018-10-16-rockstar-attepts-to-defuse-100-hour-work-week-controversy-amidst-storm-of-criticism . 16 October 2018 . live.
  29. Web site: New Game From Former GTA Boss Will Be Introduced Via An Upcoming Audio Series . Gutierrez . Luis Joshua . . 17 May 2024 . 11 June 2024 .

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