Rockstar co-founder reveals he quit over GTA 5 workload: Is this delaying GTA 6 release?

As the gaming world appears to be irked by the delay in GTA 6, the upcoming sequel in the GTA saga, Rockstar Games' co-founder, Dan Houser, has intensified this buzz by disclosing why, in 2020, he left the giant gaming franchise behind ambitious titles like GTA and Red Dead Redemption.

Why did Dan Houser actually quit?

As to what made him quit the franchise that has been up to GTA 6 for over a decade, Houser attributed it to the overwhelming scale and intensity of the workload part of the studio’s projects, particularly Grand Theft Auto V.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Houser described the immense workload involved in delivering GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2. He explained that the production process was “beyond any imagining.”

While he praised the talented team he worked with, he admitted that the demands of these massive projects took an unbearable toll on him personally.

Leading such large-scale productions “swallows all of your time for many years,” he remarked, saying that it led him to question whether he could take on another project of the same calibre.

What makes his reasons for departure pertinent to today's situation is that Rockstar once again announced another delay in GTA 6 launch, confirming that GTA 6 would be released on 19 November 2026. This launch timeline accounts for 13 years of waiting since GTA V went live.

The Human cost of gigantic gaming franchises

These insights into what pushed Houser to depart highlight the extraordinary pressures faced by developers working on ambitious titles like GTA 6.

With ongoing support for GTA Online and Red Dead Online adding to the strain, the question is whether Rockstar can deliver another groundbreaking title while ensuring the well-being of its team, as the future of GTA 6 might hinge on striking the right balance.