Latest news with #WhoreoftheOrient
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Grand Theft Auto series has now sold over 440 million copies, and say g'day to Rockstar Australia
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Rockstar Games has announced the acquisition of Video Games Deluxe, a studio based in Sydney that it's been working with for some time. The personal relationships involved go back even further: Video Games Deluxe was founded by Brendan McNamara, who led Team Bondi in the creation of LA Noire before allegations about poor working conditions saw it and Rockstar part ways. Team Bondi was liquidated in 2011, with McNamara and many key staff moving to the Australian production house Kennedy Miller Mitchell to work on the ill-fated (and cancelled) title Whore of the Orient. Ever the busy bee, McNamara also founded Video Games Deluxe in 2013, since when it has exclusively worked on Rockstar projects: The studio's collaborations with Rockstar include the 2017 re-release of LA Noire and LA Noire: The VR Case Files. It also did the heavy lifting on Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy–The Definitive Edition after it launched in a bit of a state, and got that title up to scratch. The press release comes with the usual from Rockstar, which is to say the most banal quotes imaginable. "After working together closely over many years, we are excited to have Video Games Deluxe join the team as Rockstar Australia," said Rockstar's Jennifer Kolbe. Not to be outdone, here comes big bad Brendan: "It's been an honor to work closely with Rockstar Games this past decade. We are thrilled to be a part of Rockstar Games and to continue our efforts to make the best games possible." So meet Rockstar Australia! For some reason that name just makes me think of Nick Cave. It doesn't appear that Video Games Deluxe is especially big in terms of headcount, and the LinkedIn page simply says it's "looking for experienced programmers to work on something new." This takes the total number of Rockstar subsidiary studios to ten, plus Rockstar HQ in New York City. There is one little nugget squirrelled-away in the press release. In the boilerplate text at the bottom about Rockstar itself, it calls Grand Theft Auto "one of the most successful entertainment properties of all time with over 440 million units sold-in worldwide." This figure did appear in a Take Two earnings call last month but, hey, it's news to me: And GTA5 is responsible for 210 million of those sales. Grand Theft Auto 6 remains on-track for this year, though don't be surprised if Rockstar decides to give itself a little extra time for the spit and polish, and to make it super deluxe. After all, per Strauss Zelnick, the goal is simple: "We're seeking perfection."
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
GTA developer Rockstar opens new Australian branch by acquiring the studio that's been working on its ports for "this past decade"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. GTA developer Rockstar Games has acquired Video Games Deluxe, a studio which has been working with the company for years on ports of its older titles. In a press release (via Business Wire), it's confirmed that Video Games Deluxe has been rebranded to Rockstar Australia, and in recent years has worked with the GTA developer on the 2017 remaster of L.A. Noire and GTA: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition. "After working together closely over many years, we are excited to have Video Games Deluxe join the team as Rockstar Australia," says Rockstar's head of publishing Jennifer Kolbe. "It's been an honor to work closely with Rockstar Games this past decade," says Video Games Deluxe founder Brendan McNamara. Video Games Deluxe's LinkedIn profile notes the studio is "looking for experienced programmers to work on something new," but whether this is an original IP or another port or remaster of a Rockstar classic is unknown. It also lists its previous titles as The Getaway and L.A. Noire, games McNamara was creative director on. The Getaway was developed while McNamara was at Team Soho, and L.A. Noire while he was at Team Bondi. I honestly didn't realise L.A. Noire was only published by Rockstar, not developed in-house. Team Bondi had a troubled past, with some staff members creating a website that added over 100 names not originally listed in L.A. Noire's credits section. It was later absorbed into KMM Interactive Entertainment and went on to begin development on Whore of the Orient, a game McNamara was working on as creative director and which faced criticism due to its name. An Australian politician called it an "attempt to disgrace Chinese culture, history, and traditions." While you're here, check out everything we know about GTA 6, the highly anticipated game that should be coming out later this year.
