Dan Houser: GTA London 1969 May Be the Sole International Venture Due to Lack of ‘Americana’ in Other Settings

GTA London’s Unique Place in Gaming History

To date, GTA London 1969 stands as the sole title in the Grand Theft Auto franchise to venture beyond the borders of the United States. This has sparked a persistent curiosity among fans regarding whether Rockstar Games might consider another return to London or perhaps explore new international locales in future installments.

The Cultural Essence of GTA

However, Dan Houser, a key figure behind the franchise’s narrative vision—having written all prior titles except for the anticipated sixth installment—has suggested that the likelihood of this happening is quite slim. During an engaging discussion on the Lex Fridman podcast, he highlighted the series’ deep ties to American culture.

“We made a little thing in London 26 years ago, GTA London, for the top-down for the PS1. That was pretty cute and fun, as the first mission pack ever for PlayStation. I think for a full GTA game, we always decided there was so much Americana inherent in the IP. It would be really hard to make it work in London or anywhere else. You know, you needed guns, you needed these larger-than-life characters. It just felt like the game was so much about America, possibly from an outsider’s perspective. But that was so much about what the thing was that it wouldn’t really have worked in the same way elsewhere.”

Shifting Perspectives

While Dan Houser departed from Rockstar Games in early 2020, his extensive experience—spanning over twenty-two years—provides him with valuable insights into the studio’s approach to its flagship intellectual property.

Character Favorites and the Future of Writing

In other parts of the interview, Houser shared that his favorite character is Niko Bellic from GTA IV, noting him as the most genuine and kind-hearted character. He also praised CJ from San Andreas and Michael De Santa from GTA V, crediting their voice actors for effectively bringing these characters to life.

On a different note, Houser expressed confidence in the realm of creative writing, specifically regarding the advent of generative language models. He argued that while these AI tools may produce acceptable content, they lack the ability to generate innovative ideas, which he believes is the true essence of creative writing.

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