Rockstar Games Purchases Australian Game Development Studio Video Games Deluxe

Rockstar Games Acquires Video Games Deluxe

Rockstar Games has officially announced the acquisition of Video Games Deluxe, a developer located in Sydney, Australia. This studio was established in 2013 by Brendan McNamara, who previously founded Team Bondi. Since its formation, Video Games Deluxe has developed a significant partnership with Rockstar, contributing to projects such as the re-release of L. A.Noire and the VR-exclusive title, L. A.Noire: The VR Case Files. More recently, they have focused on enhancements for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition.

Statements from Leadership

Jennifer Kolbe, the Head of Publishing at Rockstar Games, expressed her enthusiasm regarding the acquisition:

After working together closely over many years, we are excited to have Video Games Deluxe join the team as Rockstar Australia.

Brendan McNamara, founder of Video Games Deluxe, also shared his excitement about the new chapter:

It’s been an honor to work closely with Rockstar Games this past decade. We are thrilled to be a part of Rockstar Games and to continue our efforts to make the best games possible.

The Future of Video Games Deluxe

While the financial details of the acquisition remain undisclosed, there was notable interest in an open-world VR game that Video Games Deluxe was recruiting for back in July 2020. Given the stagnation in virtual reality’s growth, prospects for this project appear bleak. Instead, it is reasonable to anticipate that Video Games Deluxe will enhance Rockstar’s upcoming offerings, particularly in light of the highly anticipated release of Grand Theft Auto VI this Fall.

Upcoming Enhancements for Grand Theft Auto V

In addition to the studio acquisition, Rockstar is set to release a major free update for Grand Theft Auto V, bringing various technical improvements. Players can expect:

NVIDIA DLSS 3
AMD FSR 1 and 3
Ray-traced shadows, reflections, ambient occlusion, and global illumination
Faster loading times through SSD and DirectStorage on compatible devices
Better support for higher resolutions, aspect ratios, and frame rates
DualSense controller compatibility featuring adaptive triggers
Enhanced audio with Dolby Atmos support, along with upgraded speech, cinematics, and music fidelity

This eagerly awaited update is scheduled for release tomorrow and is already available for preloading on PC.

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