Whispers say Dan Houser left Rockstar after GTA VI saw three storylines scrapped – but conflicting timelines suggest the truth might be more complicated.
In the notoriously secretive world of Rockstar Games, speculation is rampant, and every leak or rumor is examined under a microscope.
The latest whisper?
That Dan Houser, Rockstar’s co-founder and longtime creative engine, left the company not just for personal reasons – but because of a series of failed story pitches for Grand Theft Auto VI.
According to Insider Gaming, which attributes its information to a leaker known as Fravilys, Houser’s departure in 2020 may have been triggered by mounting frustrations during the early development of GTA VI.
If true, the implications are significant, and they offer a rare glimpse into the pressures behind one of gaming’s most anticipated titles.
The Claims: A Creative Clash?
Fravilys alleges that not one, not two, but three full-fledged story concepts for GTA VI were pitched and ultimately rejected by Rockstar’s parent company, Take-Two Interactive.
- The first version, described as a noir-inspired detective thriller with three protagonists, reportedly had momentum until late 2016. But Take-Two allegedly found it “too dark” and shelved it.
- The second iteration introduced a dual-protagonist structure: a policewoman and a drug runner with shades of Trevor from GTA V. This version apparently lasted 18 months before being scrapped.
- A third concept swapped out the policewoman for an African-American ex-soldier, recently released from prison and pulled into the underworld. This too, according to the rumor, was shut down in early 2019.
Three ambitious narrative arcs. Three full reboots. And somewhere in the creative fallout, Dan Houser, the man behind Rockstar’s most iconic stories, allegedly chose to walk away.
The Timeline: A Mess of Maybes
Skeptics on Reddit are quick to point out inconsistencies in the timeline.
Houser announced his extended leave from Rockstar in spring 2019 and officially exited in March 2020.
According to Jason Schreier and corroborated by leaked GTA VI development files, the game didn’t even enter full production until 2020. This suggests that Houser was likely only involved primarily in pre-production and early narrative shaping.
Furthermore, Projectmericas – the long-rumored code name for GTA VI – was said to be a globe-spanning epic with four protagonists and multiple cities, including Latin American locales – which is not similar to any of the stories described by Fravilys. If that concept predates 2019, it would contradict the idea that three full story pivots happened within a few years.
Silence, Speculation, and a New Chapter
There’s another theory about why Houser left: It is that Houser wasn’t creatively stifled by GTA VI at all, but simply burned out after Red Dead Redemption 2, a project widely seen as his magnum opus.
Released in late 2018, RDR2 was praised for its emotional depth but also mired in controversy over alleged "100-hour work weeks" during crunch time. Houser’s departure shortly thereafter might have had less to do with scrapped storylines and more to do with exhaustion – both mental and emotional.
Dan Houser has never publicly commented on the reasons behind his departure, and true to Rockstar’s enigmatic reputation, there’s been no official word from Take-Two or his brother and co-founder, Sam Houser.
Some fans suggest a more wholesome alternative: that Houser simply wanted to step back and spend time with his family, or pursue passion projects at a slower pace. That narrative gained some weight when, in 2021, Houser founded Absurd Ventures, a creative studio aimed at building original universes across games, film, animation, and literature.
In a June 2023 announcement, Houser said he was excited to "create new universes," signaling not a retreat from storytelling, but a bold step into new territory. Whatever happened behind Rockstar's closed doors, Houser clearly hasn’t lost his creative fire.
The Bigger Picture: When Creativity Meets Corporate Expectations
Whether or not the storyboarding rumors are true, it’s not uncommon for game concepts to evolve, even radically.
What’s rare – and soul-crushing, as some developers have put it – is to invest 18 months or more into a narrative arc, only to have it torn down and rebuilt repeatedly.
As one observer noted, “This isn’t knocking ideas around anymore. This is full-scale production.” And when the stakes are as high as they are for a new GTA, the pressure is immense – for developers, publishers, and especially for writers like Houser. So a departure because of creative differences, even if not over rejected scripts, would at least be somewhat thinkable.
In classic Rockstar fashion, the real story may never be told. The company’s near-mythical secrecy has always fueled speculation and hype, and this situation is no different. It's fun to think about what might have been.
But seeing as all the rumors are from unvarified sources, even if they gained lot's of friction online, one shouldn't be too quick about jumping to conclusions.