Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is a groundbreaking video game series that has not only redefined open-world gaming but also stands as a new way of experiencing interactive entertainment.
With many live-action adaptations recently, the community has been wondering why Rockstar is not trying to create a live-action adaptation with its IPs. This question was answered in an interview with co-founder Dan Houser, where he shared a few problems the studio would have had to face while creating these movies.
Dan Houser Shared Some Insights on GTA’s Cinematic Potential
In a rare and candid interview, Dan Houser shed some light on the studio’s ambitious plans. He said that the studio was thinking of expanding the iconic Grand Theft Auto universe into films. However, due to certain reasons, they had to leave that idea on the table.
Ever since his departure from Rockstar Games, the community has been wondering what the future holds for the franchise. Now with GTA 6′s release looming over, Houser has revealed some information about how the studio was previously planning to create movies with its IPs but changed its mind because of the gaming industry’s trend at the time. He said after some talks with executives about the various projects, the studio gave up on the idea.
After a few awkward dates, we’d ask [the executives], why would we do this? They thought we’d be blinded by the lights and that just wasn’t the case, We had what we considered to be multi-billion-dollar IP, and the economics never made sense. The risk never made sense. In those days, the perception was that games made poor-quality movies.
Despite having worldwide successful games, the video game industry never had great success with adapting games into successful movies. There are a few exceptions now like Detective Pikachu or Sonic the Hedgehog but there are also a lot of failed attempts that not only cost a huge amount of money but also dragged the studio’s name through dust. Rockstar wanted to avoid that.
Rockstar Games is known for its dedication to quality and narrative depth and just for the movie, the studio was not willing to jeopardize its finances and well-deserved reputation for movies. But Houser now believes that game IPs have started to learn their lessons and are trying to create better adaptations like The Last of Us, Fallout series, etc.
Rockstar Games’ Commitment to Quality and Maintaining its Reputation
As Rockstar Games continues to push the boundaries of open-world and storytelling with upcoming releases like GTA 6, fans should rest assured that the studio is still committed to providing quality experiences.
While it is still unknown whether we will see ever a live-action adaptation of the GTA or even Red Dead Redemption universes, one thing is sure: the studio will maintain its commitment to quality content for players. As Dan Houser said himself “Why would we do this?” as the games will do all the talking.
In the end, while the wait for a live-action adaptation seems very far, the release of GTA 6 is closer than expected. So let’s keep our hopes up as no one knows what the future holds for us.
What is your favorite game in the GTA Trilogy and why is it Vice City? Tell us in the comment section below.
