Rockstar Co-Founder: The GTA Series Will Never Leave America Again

Rockstar Games co-founder and former lead writer Dan Houser spoke with Lex Fridman about why Grand Theft Auto hasn’t ventured outside the United States since GTA London for the PS1. According to Houser, the franchise is too deeply rooted in American culture, satire, and, of course, guns.

When asked why the series never returned to London or other cities outside the U.S., Houser explained that “Americana” has always been part of GTA’s DNA, and it would be extremely difficult to translate that essence to another country without the exaggerated versions of Miami or New York.

“You needed guns, you needed these larger-than-life characters... The game was so much about America, possibly from an outsider’s perspective.That was so much about what [the series] was that it wouldn’t really have worked in the same way elsewhere,” he said.

Although Houser described GTA London as “pretty cute and fun,” he admitted that Rockstar is unlikely to return to a setting outside the U.S. Judging by the trailers for GTA 6, the studio has no intention of slowing down its satirical take on American life, which has long become a defining hallmark of the franchise.

Earlier, Dan Houser also revealed why Rockstar Games ultimately canceled the spy action game Agent.