The January issue of Game Informer magazine contains a lengthy interview with the president of Rockstar Games, Sam Houser. Even though he is notoriously elusive in speaking to gaming publications, Game Informer have managed to sit down with him and ask him about the GTA series, as well as the gaming industry. Here is a sample of the interview:
Qestion: Is this the last new Grand Theft Auto game we’ll see on this generation of hardware? It seems like you’ve probably pushed the PS2 hardware about as far as you can.
Answer: “Terry [Donovan, CEO of Rockstar] will batter me if I answer that question! [Laughs] It is the last full-blown thing we’re going to see for now. But someone might come up with a wacky idea that’s fun and relevant tomorrow. I’m one of those “never say never” kind of people. It was really important for us to do this trilogy. A fictional New York in a contemporary setting, Miami in the ’80s, and a ’90s Cali – that was the trilogy. That was the plan from a long time ago. I’m not the biggest fan of games coming out with new versions year after year. Putting out the same game every year, plus ten percent, that’s not our thing.”
When asked about an online GTA game, Houser mentioned Everquest as a possible source of inspiration. Additionally, “just giving people deathmatch, or even a cooperative deathmatch – that’s not GTA.” Houser spoke on Rockstar’s choice of systems, saying he is “supporting all the next generation systems,” and that “what we built the company on when we moved from PSone to PlayStation 2 was a desire to make games that you couldn’t play on the existing platforms. That’s very important.”
Sam also believes GTA III had a big influence on the gaming industry, and that games such as Def Jam Vendetta and True Crime: Streets of L.A. “wouldn’t have happened.”
Go out and pick up the issue from the newsstands, and we’ll have more information for you when we have the full article at our disposal. Big thanks to PlanetGrandTheftAuto for the quotes and information. Comment on this news at GTAForums.