Rockstar’s Dan Houser: Grand Theft Auto Will Never Be Set in London

Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser explains why Grand Theft Auto will never be set in London or other international locations (again). Houser sees guns and American culture as indispensable elements of the series.

Guns and Americana are essential

Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games, has explained why the Grand Theft Auto series will never leave the United States as a setting. Despite years of fan requests for a full-fledged GTA game in London or other cities outside the US, the series remains firmly rooted in American territory.

The former head writer and creative mind behind the iconic games explains this with the series’ deep roots in American culture. Two factors in particular are crucial to the typical GTA experience: the availability of weapons and the larger-than-life characters that are typical of American pop culture. Grand Theft Auto is so strongly influenced by American culture that moving to other countries would fundamentally change the gaming experience.
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In his hour-long conversation with Lex Fridman, Houser explained that Miami, New York and Los Angeles are ideal locations for GTA games because they all offer a melting pot atmosphere. Glitz, glamour, underworld, immigrants and enormous wealth coexisted there. That makes them perfect backdrops for what Houser describes as a “psychotic version of a Dickens novel.”

London trip remains an experiment

Rockstar had already dared to experiment with GTA London 1969 in 1999 – but only as an expansion pack for the original “top-down” version. According to Houser, the London setting with its colorful minis, miniskirts and the mod culture of the Swinging Sixties was “pretty cute and fun”, but only suitable as an initial expansion. Houser sees the main problem with the desired return to the London setting as the limited availability of firearms in Great Britain. Grand Theft Auto 6: Rockstar Games shows the second trailer

GTA 6 remains American

The trend continues with Grand Theft Auto 6, which is set in the fictional US state of Leonida – a reinterpretation of Florida. The previous trailers once again show the typical parody of American culture that has been the trademark of the series for decades. Houser’s stance is similar to that of Bethesda development chief Todd Howard, who has also stated that the Fallout series will never leave the US because “American naivety” is too important to the games’ tone. Both developers see their series as inextricably linked to American identity.