Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says leaving GTA was ‘sad,’ but Red Dead Redemption meant more
Rockstar Games co-founder and longtime lead writer Dan Houser sat down in an interview during the Lex Fridman Podcast last week. He came out and said that he’d feel “sadder” watching Red Dead Redemption 3 being developed without his involvement than he does observing Grand Theft Auto 6 from a distance.
To provide context, Dan Houser left Rockstar in March 2020, along with his brother Sam, after leading the development and creative outlook for titles like Grand Theft Auto III, GTA IV, GTA V, Red Dead Redemption, Red Dead Redemption 2, and pretty much shaping the Rockstar 3D and HD universe.
He was credited directly for his work on more than 10 major titles at Rockstar. He described this sentimental shift as “a big change in a sad way.” However, he finds it easier for himself to detach from GTA VI, given its separate standalone story.
In the interview, Houser explained:
Because each of the GTA games was kind of a standalone story, it’s not quite the same; I think probably would be, in some ways, sadder if someone continued on Red Dead, because it was as cohesive a two-game arc. That might be more sad to hear someone working on that.
But again, that probably will happen too. I don’t own the IP. That was sort of part of the deal; it’s a privilege to work on stuff, but you don’t necessarily own it.
It just goes to show that Houser was deeply invested in the narrative storytelling he crafted for the Red Dead Redemption series, which spanned RDR in 2010 and its prequel, RDR2. Houser regarded the series as the pinnacle of his career for its “thematic consistency” in cohesive storytelling.
So far, no word is out on Red Dead Redemption 3 as Rockstar Games has its hands busy with Grand Theft Auto VI’s upcoming release for May 26, 2026, which is just six months away. Rockstar Games may start development on Red Dead Redemption 3 soon after Grand Theft Auto VI’s release, given the studio’s track record.
Previously, Rockstar Games started development on Red Dead Redemption 2 just a year after RDR1 was released in 2010. Although Rockstar has a busy schedule these days as it tries to keep information tight-lipped, it wouldn’t be out of the question that the next entry in their HD universe would be Red Dead Redemption 3.
Source(s)
