Rockstar Games

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The Rockstar Games logo.

Rockstar Games is a development division of video game publisher Take-Two Interactive that comprised of studios that have been acquired and renamed as well as others that have been created internally. Rockstar Games is most known for managing Rockstar North and Rockstar Leeds, studios that have been for most parts responsible for developing the Grand Theft Auto series.

Organization

The Rockstar Games label was founded in 1998 by Sam Houser, Terry Donovan, Dan Houser, Jamie King and Gary Foreman. Donovan has since left the company, to be replaced by former Capcom managing director, Gary Dale. Dale, along with Sam and Dan Houser is the leadership now. Rockstar Games is headquartered in New York City, United States.

While many of the studios that Take-Two has acquired have been merged into the Rockstar brand, several other recent ones have retained their previous identities and have become part of the company's 2K Games division. Although Rockstar Games studios tend to concentrate on their own game development, collaborative projects involving multiple Rockstar Games studios have occurred (i.e. with Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3), and certain elements from games developed by a Rockstar Games studio can emerge in games from another studio. In addition, many current Rockstar Games titles utilize the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, a dedicated game engine developed by Rockstar San Diego. Rockstar Games has also conducted limited merger exercises on studios, such as the absorption of Rockstar Vancouver into Rockstar Toronto.

Due to Rockstar Games rebranding policy of acquired studios, misconceptions of Rockstar Games being a single game developer are not uncommon, often assuming all games released under the Rockstar Games label are created by the same development team.

Rockstar studios

Logo Name Location Previous Name Notes
Rockstar Leeds Leeds, England Mobius Entertainment Based in the Stanningley district of Leeds. They helped create the three PSP GTA games.
Rockstar Lincoln Lincoln, England Tarantula Studios Quality assurance and localization studio
Rockstar London London, England n/a Formed in November 2005. Worked on Manhunt 2.
Rockstar New England Andover, US Mad Doc Software Incorporated in 2008, they are best known for Empire Earth III.
Rockstar North Edinburgh, Scotland DMA Design The best known Rockstar company. They are famous for the Grand Theft Auto series and Manhunt.
Rockstar San Diego Carlsbad, US Angel Studios Based in a suburb of San Diego, the creators of Midtown Madness, Midnight Club and Red Dead Revolver, and the recent Red Dead Redemption.
Rockstar Toronto Oakville, Canada Rockstar Canada Take Two's in-house development team, based in the outskirts of Toronto. Their most well-known work is their adaptation of the cult classic film The Warriors.
Rockstar Japan Tokyo, Japan n/a The studio was founded in 2005. Works in conjunction with developer Capcom on Japanese localizations of numerous games by Rockstar. Also known as 'Rockstar Games Tokyo'.

Former studios

Logo Name Location Previous Names Notes
Rockstar Vienna Vienna, Austria Neo Software The studio was purchased by Rockstar Games in 2003, having been founded in 1993, and was closed on May 11, 2006. Worked on the Max Payne series, parts of Manhunt 2] and the Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack.
Rockstar Vancouver Vancouver, Canada Barking Dog Studios They created Bully and Max Payne 3, as well as worked on the Grand Theft Auto: Double Pack. Dismantled and merged with Rockstar Toronto in 2012.

Other companies that have developed for Rockstar Games

Works

Notable games and series

  • Grand Theft Auto series (1997—pres.)
  • Manhunt series (2003, 2007)
  • Max Payne (2001—2012)
  • Bully (including the Scholarship Edition) (2006, 2008)
  • Midnight Club series (2000—pres.)
  • Oni (2001)
  • Red Dead series (2004, 2010)
  • Smuggler's Run (2000—2002)
  • Table Tennis (2006)
  • The Warriors (2005)
  • Wild Metal (2004)
  • L.A. Noire (2011)

Full game list

Films

Rockstar Games are credited as executive producers of Sunday Driver and The Football Factory.

Rockstar's logo consists of a black 'R' and a white star on a yellow background. Rockstar Games has a habit of placing the logo within their games as a form of Easter Egg.

In Grand Theft Auto III

  • The logo appears on many billboards throughout Liberty City, particularly around the Liberty Memorial Coliseum.
  • An advertisement in Bedford Point shows a coffee cup with the logo on it.
  • A pedestrian that is commonly seen in Staunton Island wears a jacket that says "ROCK STAR" on the front.
  • The logo appears as a constellation in the sky, with an especially bright star at the tip to represent the white star of the logo.
  • The logo can be seen on the cap of a pedestrian wearing headphones.
  • The clerk of the Ammu-Nation stores wears a sweater with the Rockstar name on the front.

In Grand Theft Auto: Vice City

A Rockstar-shaped pool
  • The door of Rockster Video Games bears the logo. The name "Rockster Video Games" is also a clear reference to the company.
  • The logo appears as a constellation in the sky, with an especially bright star at the tip to represent the white star of the logo.
  • A swimming pool on Starfish Island is shaped like the logo.
  • The clerk of the Ammu-Nation stores wears a jacket with the Rockstar logo on the front and the words "ROCK STAR" on the back.
  • The logo is on a heart-shaped tombstone and on a shirt of a person in a picture frame in Funeraria Romero.
  • On the parked Air Rockstar jumbo jets in Escobar International Airport, the name appears on the front of the jet and the logo appears on its tail.
  • The logo is on billboards across the street from Café Robina and across the street from Screw This.
  • On one of the variant of the Hotring Racer.
  • On one of the variant of the Bloodring Banger.
  • On the walls of the drainage canal in Little Haiti.

In Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

  • Carl Johnson's suitcase in the first cutscene has a Rockstar Games sticker.
  • The logo appears on numerous items of clothing.
  • The action figure boxes for GTA Vice City and Manhunt characters in Zero RC bear the logo.
  • The Rockstar constellation returns from GTA Vice City.
  • The Rockstar logo can also be seen on a San Fierro Tower in downtown San Fierro when coming off the Garver Bridge.
  • The name "Rock Star" appears on some drug dealers (the ones with hoodies).
  • The logo is emblazoned on a surfboard inside Sub Urban stores.
  • North of Los Santos, there is a place named "Northstar Rock", a clear reference to Rockstar North.

In Grand Theft Auto Advance

In Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories

  • Graffiti resembling the logo can be seen throughout the city.
  • A pedestrian has the logo emblazoned on his hat.

In Grand Theft Auto IV

In Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars

  • The logo appears as a fridge magnet on the Mission Replay whiteboard, along with the Rockstar Leeds logo.
  • The "Key to the City" trophy has the Rockstar logo as its handle.

In other media

External links

Studios