In September 2019, Rockstar Games announced that they had released their own game launcher, a digital distribution, digital rights management, multiplayer and communications service. In May 2019, Rockstar Games announced that they were acquiring Dhruva Interactive from Starbreeze Studios for $7.9 million, with the sale being finalized later that month and the Dhruva team merged into Rockstar India. Simon Ramsey is the company's head of PR and communications.

Jennifer Kolbe, who started at the front desk of Take-Two, acts as Rockstar Games' head of publishing and oversees all development studios. Īt the 10th British Academy Games Awards in March 2014, Rockstar Games was honored with the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award for 'creating intricately layered interactive worlds that have kept the company at the forefront of the gaming industry for over a decade, both critically and commercially'. Grand Theft Auto V shipped the highest number of units within the series' and the company's history, with over 135 million copies, becoming one of the bestselling video games of all time. Īs of February 2014, Rockstar Games titles have shipped more than 250 million copies, the largest franchise being the Grand Theft Auto series, which alone has shipments of at least 250 million as of November 2016. Dale previously worked with the Houser brothers and King at BMG Interactive, but left the company when it was acquired by Take-Two Interactive, and joined Capcom's European operations as managing director in 2003. He was succeeded by Gary Dale, who became chief operating officer. In January 2007, Take-Two announced that Donovan, until then managing director for Rockstar Games, had left the company following a four-month leave of absence. The formation was formally announced on January 22, 1999. In December 1998, the Houser brothers, Donovan and King established Rockstar Games as the 'high-end' publishing label of Take-Two. In a restructuring announced that April, Sam Houser was appointed as Take-Two's 'vice president of worldwide product development'. Three BMG Interactive executives- Dan Houser, Sam Houser, and Jamie King-as well as Gary Foreman of BMG Interactive and Terry Donovan of BMG Entertainment's Arista Records record label, subsequently moved to New York City to work for Take-Two Interactive. The deal was announced to have closed on March 25. Through this acquisition, Take-Two obtained several of BMG Interactive's former intellectual properties, including DMA Design's Grand Theft Auto and Space Station Silicon Valley. In exchange, Take-Two was to issue 1.85 million shares (around 16%) of its common stock to BMG Entertainment. On March 12, 1998, Take-Two Interactive announced its acquisition of the assets of dormant British video game publisher BMG Interactive from BMG Entertainment (a unit of Bertelsmann). Dan left the company in 2020 Sam is the president. īrothers Dan Houser (left) and Sam Houser (right) are two of the co-founders of Rockstar Games. Other popular franchises published by Rockstar Games are Red Dead, Midnight Club, Max Payne and Manhunt.

The most recent main game in the series, Grand Theft Auto V, has sold over 155 million copies since its release in September 2013, making it one of the best-selling video games of all time. One of such action-adventure game franchises is Grand Theft Auto, which Rockstar Games took over from BMG Interactive, which published the series' original 1997 entry. Rockstar Games predominantly publishes games in the action-adventure genre, while racing games also saw success for the company. Rockstar Games also sports a motion capture studio in Bethpage, New York. In this context, Rockstar Games is sometimes also referred to as Rockstar New York, Rockstar NY or Rockstar NYC. All companies organized under Rockstar Games bear the 'Rockstar' name and logo. Since 1999, several companies acquired by or established under Take-Two have become part of Rockstar Games, such as Rockstar Canada (later renamed Rockstar Toronto) becoming the first one in 1999, and Rockstar Dundee the most recent in 2020. Sam Houser heads the studio as president.

Founding members of the company were Terry Donovan, Gary Foreman, Dan and Sam Houser, and Jamie King, who worked for Take-Two at the time, and of which the Houser brothers were previously executives at BMG Interactive. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. is an American video game publisher based in New York City.

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