We speak of Grand Theft Auto III as this industry-changing title that basically decided the console wars after Microsoft passed on it. But did you know that the reality is that the game that arguably started it all for Grand Theft Auto was made on a "shoestring budget" and the people behind it were weeks away from closing down?
As unlikely as this may seem, this is true. Dan Houser recently shared the remarkable story of how GTA 3 went from a desperate gamble to a company-saving miracle in a matter of weeks.
In an interview with The Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Virgin Radio, Rockstar's co-founder revealed that, before GTA 3 launched in October 2001, Rockstar's parent company Take-Two Interactive was in dire financial straits.
According to Houser, the publisher was hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, facing a situation that threatened the existence of the entire operation. The pressure was immense, and everything was riding on a game with a development budget of approximately $5 million. For context, Grand Theft Auto 6 will reportedly cost Rockstar multiple billions to make and market when it's all said and done.
Houser himself described the game as being made on a shoestring, emphasizing just how tight the financial constraints really were, as the development team consisted of roughly 25 people working at DMA Design, which would later become Rockstar North. This meant Rockstar had to use every dollar and every person, including former lead director Obbe Vermeij, as efficiently as possible.
