Grand Theft Auto not 'necessarily' limited to modern America

Grand Theft Auto isn't necessarily limited to contemporary America, says Rockstar's Dan Houser. Pitches for wilder ideas tend to get thrown out upon each new iteration, and they get rejected or turned into another game.

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Grand Theft Auto has always been a quintessentially American series. It parodies America in faux-American cities, and tends to star born-and-raised American protagonists. Grand Theft Auto V is no exception, set in a fictionalized version of the Los Angeles area. But Rockstar's Dan Houser says he doesn't consider the series tied to our country, or even our time period.

"At the moment it feels like [Grand Theft Auto's] D.N.A. is contemporary-ish, America-ish, English-speaking-ish, because that's what it has been," Houser told Polygon. "But that doesn't necessarily limit it to those, that's just what we've done so far. Everything else is discussed. We might not do it, but we always discuss it. We discuss anything. Many outlandish ideas have been discussed and have been rejected, or they could turn into another game, or they could inspire something else."

He jokes that wild ideas like a game surrounding a caveman might not be fun because they don't have the wheel. It makes sense that their brainstorming sessions would inspire similar ideas outside of the GTA franchise, as both Bully and Red Dead Redemption seem clearly spawned from the same open world formula.

Houser also said that right now the studio is squarely focused on Grand Theft Auto Online, but soon enough they'll have to start looking into the future. "I do not know what the future of anything is aside from the next few days and then Oct. 1," he said. "At some point in the next weeks and months, [lead producer Leslie Benzies and artist Aaron Garbut and co-founder Sam Houser] and myself will have to actually think about what we're doing next, and if we're going to do anything."

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From The Chatty
  • reply
    September 16, 2013 8:15 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Grand Theft Auto not 'necessarily' limited to modern America.

    Grand Theft Auto isn't necessarily limited to contemporary America, says Rockstar's Dan Houser. Pitches for wilder ideas tend to get thrown out upon each new iteration, and they get rejected or turned into another game.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 8:29 AM

      [deleted]

      • reply
        September 16, 2013 8:30 AM

        Red Dead Redemption

      • reply
        September 16, 2013 8:46 AM

        Grandiose Equestrian Scoundrel III

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 8:30 AM

      I have a crazy idea ... GTA, but set in the wild west!!

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 8:48 AM

      Announce the PC release please.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 8:53 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 8:58 AM

      I've been hoping Rockstar would return GTA to the UK for sometime. After so many games set in the US they need to rest the setting for a while.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 9:18 AM

      Grand Theft Auto Venice

      Now you steal boats and speed through canals!

      And it smells like shit and the humidity is ridiculous.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 9:19 AM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 9:21 AM

      Grand Theft Spacecraft

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 9:24 AM

      I want a GTA set somewhere in South America.

      • reply
        September 16, 2013 9:27 AM

        brazil!

      • reply
        September 16, 2013 9:29 AM

        GTA: Falklands. Hitting 6 stars calls in the Brits

        • reply
          September 16, 2013 7:03 PM

          HAHAHA

        • reply
          September 16, 2013 7:08 PM

          I don't know why this is so funny but I'm imagining a destroyer appearing on shore to blast you.

      • reply
        September 16, 2013 10:47 AM

        but no more favelas please

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 9:35 AM

      Rockstar are great at parodying real time periods, people and events but historically not so hot at creating their own.

      GTA2 brought us exciting places like "Industrial District" and "Residential District" and gangs such as "The Loonies", "The Rednecks" and "The Scientists".

      A stark contrast to the charm and character of even the first GTA game.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 9:38 AM

      GTA: Flinstones

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 9:59 AM

      GTA London again maybe?

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 10:17 AM

      GTA Tokyo Drift FTW!

      • reply
        September 16, 2013 11:49 AM

        this is what i want. GTA Tokyo

      • reply
        September 16, 2013 7:11 PM

        I was just thinking GTA Tokyo could be really cool.

        • reply
          September 16, 2013 7:19 PM

          Would be interesting, have wanted to see something like that for years. Sleeping Dogs did an okay job with Hong Kong, just needed a lot more car and foot traffic to sell the world.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 10:54 AM

      GTA set in UK/England, Japan, or Brazil would be fantastic. Many have really fantastic locales that would be the make up of 3 cities.

      Japan would be off the hook: Tokyo - Kyoto - Osaka with Fuji in the middle of the map for super rad drift races down a mountain pass.

      Either way, it would be really amazing to see more international cities.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 11:19 AM

      GTA Dubai oh my?

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 11:55 AM

      They need a sci-fi GTA. It would be amazing.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 11:56 AM

      GTA Disney

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 12:04 PM

      GTA: Chicago (aka Watchdogs)

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 12:30 PM

      [deleted]

    • Ziz legacy 10 years legacy 20 years
      reply
      September 16, 2013 12:33 PM

      GTA: Back To The Future

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 12:59 PM

      Grand Theft Assassins Creed

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 1:06 PM

      GTA: Westeros

      • reply
        September 16, 2013 1:12 PM

        I would like to see Bethesda do a Westeros game.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 1:08 PM

      1920's Paris.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 4:44 PM

      Total awesomeness would be GTA a la Fifth Element!! In a beatiful and stylized future that still resembles our time and with a superstacked city!! SUPERSTACKED CITY!!

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 7:05 PM

      [deleted]

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 7:15 PM

      GTA Neo-Tokyo ffs!

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 7:17 PM

      Grand theft monkey. Jungle setting, huge forest, monkey does as he's told or you smack him with a club.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 7:20 PM

      GTA: Quarantine

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 7:24 PM

      Don Draper steals a car and does some womanizing: the game.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 7:35 PM

      GTA: Beirut

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 7:49 PM

      I just want The Getaway to get another game. I loved the first one.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 9:09 PM

      Grand Theft Straya Cunt

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 9:12 PM

      70's san francisco!

      or nyc in the late 60's / late 70's when it was real seedy and gross

      • reply
        September 16, 2013 9:26 PM

        Innerstate 75

      • reply
        September 16, 2013 11:20 PM

        Or Las Vegas in the 70s. End of the mafia casinos, driving around in a muscle car like smokey and the bandit, calling friends for bowling on your CB radio, experiencing fear and loathing.

    • reply
      September 16, 2013 10:09 PM

      Grand Theft Idiocracy

    • reply
      September 17, 2013 2:07 AM

      GTA Jurassic Park.

    • reply
      September 20, 2013 1:49 AM

      GTA: Clacton-on-Sea

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