Why GTA Won’t Return to Britain, According to Rockstar
Despite the company’s British roots, Rockstar Games co-founder and former lead writer Dan Houser has cast doubt on the possibility of a future mainline Grand Theft Auto game being set outside of the United States, specifically addressing the long-requested return to a British setting. Speaking in a recent interview, Houser explained that the core identity of the franchise is too deeply rooted in America to work effectively anywhere else across the globe.
The “Americana” Problem
Houser, who was the creative force behind the narratives of Grand Theft Auto from the third installment through Grand Theft Auto V, acknowledged the existence of the single expansion pack, Grand Theft Auto: London 1969, released for the original top-down game 26 years ago. While he called that early effort “cute and fun,” he stressed that the dynamic changed dramatically once the series transitioned to the full 3D open-world format.
For a full, modern GTA title, Houser stated, “we always decided there was so much America inherent in the IP, it would be really hard to make it work in London or anywhere else.”
He pointed to two key ingredients that are essential for the series’s satire and gameplay:
- Guns and Violence: GTA relies heavily on the prevalent gun culture and availability of firearms in the US to drive its action and criminal narratives. The much stricter gun laws in the UK would fundamentally alter the gameplay loop.
- Larger-Than-Life Characters: The series thrives on exaggerated, often satirical, characters and scenarios that reflect a “psychotic version of a Dickens book,” as Houser described it. This type of broad, over-the-top social commentary is most effective when aimed at American culture and its extreme contrasts of wealth and poverty.
Houser’s comments suggest that the core Grand Theft Auto franchise will continue to parody the US, as evidenced by the upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI, which is set in the fictional state of Leonida (a parody of Florida) and Vice City (Miami). Houser, who left Rockstar in 2020, confirmed he had no involvement in the writing of GTA VI, but believes the story will be “exciting” nonetheless.
THIS IS Our Take
While Grand Theft Auto‘s developer, Rockstar North, is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Dan Houser’s reasoning is strategically sound. The franchise’s worldwide success is built on its sharp, yet absurd, satire of American excess and freedom. Trying to transplant that specific brand of chaos to a country like the UK, where the criminal and gun culture is vastly different, risks diluting the core experience. This commitment to the Americanan theme ensures that GTA remains distinct and continues to resonate as a powerful, albeit exaggerated, mirror to American life for players in Southeast Asia and around the world.
