Dan Houser Discusses Grand Theft Auto 3’s Iconic Artwork and Other Game Insights
- Dan Houser reflects on the last-minute creation of GTA 3’s iconic boxart due to post-9/11 sensitivities.
- Houser shares insights on the game’s themes and public reception following its October 2001 release.
- He also discusses the evolution of GTA’s cultural impact and his current project with Absurd Ventures.
Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games who departed from the studio in 2020, recently spoke with IGN about various topics, including the tumultuous production of Bully, changes to Grand Theft Auto 3’s cover art in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, reactions to Red Dead Redemption’s ending, and his views on why Max Payne 3 was a failure.
A particularly noteworthy revelation from Houser is the creation of GTA 3’s iconic boxart, which he indicated was assembled at the last minute. “What’s funny is the cover art that became the iconic GTA cover art; Stephen Bliss did that in about two evenings because the old cover art was probably being too offensive to release after 9/11 because there were burning buildings in it,” Houser explained to IGN. “So it would’ve been fine if there hadn’t just been 9/11. So that look of the shards, the squares that became very iconic, only appeared because of 9/11.”
GTA 3 is set in Liberty City, a parody of New York City, where the September 11 attacks occurred. The game’s release in October 2001 necessitated careful consideration of the themes of destruction and death, particularly in the wake of the tragedy.
Houser highlighted this sensitivity, stating, “There were a couple of bits of content that would’ve been fine, but in the exact aftermath of 9/11, were maybe a little bit too much. So we had to take those out, and the team [rallied] round and remove those and edit a couple of lines of dialogue… The game came out in October of 2001, and it just didn’t stop selling. It’s not like any single week was that massive. It was that every week it just rumbled on.”
The cover art of GTA 3 has become as iconic as its open-world gameplay, contributing to the title’s integration into popular culture. “GTA has become part of the wider cultural fabric,” Houser noted, mentioning the prevalence of GTA-inspired merchandise found in tourist locations over the past decade.
In July, Houser shared recent thoughts regarding the physical games debate, voicing indifference about Sony’s plans to discontinue physical discs from January 20 to 28, while emphasizing the importance of digital updates and fixes for game quality.
Additionally, Houser is currently developing an “open world action-adventure” through his company, Absurd Ventures, teasing the introduction of characters in a new “story-driven action-comedy adventure game set in the Absurdaverse.”
News Courtesy of Eurogamer
