Grand Theft Auto has been entrenched in American culture since its inception, with only one exception. “GTA London 1969” remains the singular title in the series to venture outside the United States, leaving fans curious about a potential return to London or an entirely new international setting. But the future of the series, as hinted by former series writer Dan Houser, might not be heading abroad anytime soon.
The Americana Essence of GTA
During an engaging conversation on the Lex Fridman podcast, Dan Houser shed light on the intrinsic connection between the Grand Theft Auto series and American culture. We made a little thing in London 26 years ago, GTA London, for the top-down for the PS1. That was pretty cute and fun, as the first mission pack ever for PlayStation. I think for a full GTA game, we always decided there was so much Americana inherent in the IP, it would be really hard to make it work in London or anywhere else. You know, you needed guns, you needed these larger-than-life characters. It just felt like the game was so much about America, possibly from an outsider’s perspective. But that was so much about what the thing was that it wouldn’t really have worked in the same way elsewhere.
While Houser departed from Rockstar Games in early 2020, his insights reflect his deep understanding of the studio’s philosophy after spending over two decades there.
Iconic Characters and Writing’s Future
In the same interview, Houser revealed that his favorite character from the series is Niko Bellic from GTA IV, whom he regards as the most earnest and nicest protagonist. He also praised CJ from San Andreas and Michael De Santa from GTA V, attributing their memorable impact to the exceptional performances of their voice actors.
Houser expressed confidence that the creative spark in writing cannot be replaced by large language models, as they can produce only basic content but lack the ability to generate truly magical and novel ideas.
As the gaming world awaits the next installment in the Grand Theft Auto series, the debate over its cultural anchor and creative direction continues to stir curiosity and anticipation.