Who Owns Rockstar Games?

Rockstar Games was founded in 1998 by Sam Houser, Dan Houser, Terry Donovan, Jamie King, and Gary Foreman. The Houser brothers had previously worked at BMG Interactive, a video game publishing division of BMG Entertainment. When BMG's interactive division was sold to Take-Two Interactive in 1998, the Housers negotiated the creation of Rockstar Games as a subsidiary with significant creative autonomy.

The company's first major success came with Grand Theft Auto, originally developed by DMA Design in Edinburgh, Scotland. DMA Design was acquired by Rockstar in 1999 and renamed Rockstar North. The original GTA, released in 1997, was a top-down action game that generated controversy for its violent content but achieved strong sales. GTA II followed in 1999.

The franchise's breakthrough came with GTA III in 2001, which transitioned the series from 2D top-down to a fully 3D open-world format. GTA III was a critical and commercial phenomenon, selling over 17.5 million copies and establishing the open-world genre as a dominant force in gaming. Vice City (2002) and San Andreas (2004) built on this success, with San Andreas selling over 20 million copies.

GTA IV, released in 2008, was the first GTA title on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 generation. It sold over 25 million copies. GTA V, released on September 17, 2013, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, was a generational leap. It sold 11.21 million units in its first 24 hours, generating $800 million in revenue on its first day and $1 billion in its first three days. GTA V has since sold over 210 million copies across five platforms (PS3, PS4, PS5, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC).

GTA Online, the multiplayer component of GTA V launched in October 2013, became a persistent revenue generator for Rockstar and Take-Two. GTA Online has received continuous updates for over a decade and has generated billions in microtransaction revenue. In December 2023, Rockstar released the first trailer for GTA VI, which became the most-viewed video game reveal in YouTube history within 24 hours.

Red Dead Redemption, released in 2010, established a second major franchise for Rockstar. Red Dead Redemption 2, released in October 2018, sold over 17 million copies in its first two weeks and has since sold over 70 million copies. The game was the last major new release from Rockstar before GTA VI.

In September 2022, Rockstar suffered a major leak when over 90 videos of in-development GTA VI footage were posted online by a hacker. The leak was described as one of the biggest in video game history. Rockstar confirmed the authenticity of the footage and stated that the incident would not affect development of the game.

Dan Houser departed Rockstar in March 2020. He had been on sabbatical since late 2019. His departure was amicable, with Take-Two confirming that he would not return. Sam Houser continued as president, maintaining the company's creative direction.

In May 2026, Rockstar released the second trailer for GTA VI, titled "Trailer 2: Today Is The Day." The trailer showcased the game's dual-protagonist system, set in the fictional state of Leonida (based on Florida), and confirmed the November 19, 2026 release date. The game will launch on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S at a price of $79.99, with a PC release expected at a later date.