In 1998 the Houser brothers founded world-renowned video game company Rockstar Games Inc. They went on to build the company into one of the most profitable in the entire video game industry. They became responsible for such monumental titles as Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption II, and even the much-beloved Xbox 360 not-quite launch title, Table Tennis. And yesterday it was announced that Dan Houser, co-founder and Vice President of Creativity at Rockstar Games Inc., would be permanently leaving his position at the company.
Announced as part of an SEC filing the company’s statement on the matter was short and sweet:
“After an extended break beginning in the spring of 2019, Dan Houser, Vice President, Creative at Rockstar Games, will be leaving the company. Dan Houser’s last day will be March 11, 2020. We are extremely grateful for his contributions. Rockstar Games has built some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful game worlds, a global community of passionate fans, and an incredibly talented team, which remains focused on current and future projects.”
While it is not clear at this time why Mr. Houser is leaving, and it has been confirmed that his brother, Sam Houser, will be staying on. But Rockstar Games is more than just the Houser brothers. There is a team of over 2,000 people working for Rockstar Games. But that fact seemed to be lost on the shareholders. When it was announced that Dan Houser was leaving the company, the stock for parent company Take-Two Interactive dropped 7 percent in value in just ten minutes.
In a very brief statement given to IGN, Rockstar tried to do some damage control stating that “Sam Houser’s role with Rockstar Games, which he founded in 1998, remains unchanged”. Sam Houser will remain the companies CEO and President. The details around Dan Houser’s future games or projects remain unknown.