SPOnG loves Rockstar. The fundamental changes they have made to the culture of making, marketing and playing videogames over the last ten years are simply immense.
If we were being pretentious we could even argue that the company almost single-handedly instigated a sea-change in the cultural recognition and standing of ‘the videogame’. However, we won’t do that.
Yet, as with any passionate love affair, there's always the ups and the downs. It’s fair to say that the company has been through some pretty hard times of late and, what with tonight’s unveiling of the GTA IV video, the May issue of Wired magazine is set to carry a lengthy feature charting the ups and (more recent) downs of Rockstar and its parent company, Take 2.
Rockstar’s top brass, bolshy public schoolboys with attitude, Dan and Sam Houser, introduced a much-needed and never-before-seen sense of swagger, style and pizzazz into videogame development and marketing back in the late 1990s, with the first top-down Grand Theft Auto game for PlayStation.
Stay tuned later tonight just after midnight for the new GTA IV trailer, as well as a news update from Take 2’s shareholder meeting which takes place at 4pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).
You can also read David Kushner's full, remarkable Wired piece online now. You are probably pretty au fait with the general gist of the story, although it really does bear reading for the juicy gossip and funny/dark tidbits such as:
Head to Wired.com to read the full, sometimes shameful, often hilariously funny story of the ups and downs of the Rockstar dynasty!
If we were being pretentious we could even argue that the company almost single-handedly instigated a sea-change in the cultural recognition and standing of ‘the videogame’. However, we won’t do that.
Yet, as with any passionate love affair, there's always the ups and the downs. It’s fair to say that the company has been through some pretty hard times of late and, what with tonight’s unveiling of the GTA IV video, the May issue of Wired magazine is set to carry a lengthy feature charting the ups and (more recent) downs of Rockstar and its parent company, Take 2.
Rockstar’s top brass, bolshy public schoolboys with attitude, Dan and Sam Houser, introduced a much-needed and never-before-seen sense of swagger, style and pizzazz into videogame development and marketing back in the late 1990s, with the first top-down Grand Theft Auto game for PlayStation.
Stay tuned later tonight just after midnight for the new GTA IV trailer, as well as a news update from Take 2’s shareholder meeting which takes place at 4pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).
You can also read David Kushner's full, remarkable Wired piece online now. You are probably pretty au fait with the general gist of the story, although it really does bear reading for the juicy gossip and funny/dark tidbits such as:
“Sam Houser, president and executive producer, played the charismatic visionary. He hung a poster in his office of Don Simpson, the infamous playboy producer of films like Flashdance and Top Gun...
The Housers became increasingly demanding. Gillian Telling, a former assistant to Dan, remembers being commanded to clean snow out of his home satellite dish. When she failed to bring in the right kind of bagel, she says he called her a "useless whore" and a "cunt." Former employees say they routinely heard yelled insults and slammed telephones. "These people are insanely smart and really good at being mean," says one. "They're British."
The Housers became increasingly demanding. Gillian Telling, a former assistant to Dan, remembers being commanded to clean snow out of his home satellite dish. When she failed to bring in the right kind of bagel, she says he called her a "useless whore" and a "cunt." Former employees say they routinely heard yelled insults and slammed telephones. "These people are insanely smart and really good at being mean," says one. "They're British."
Head to Wired.com to read the full, sometimes shameful, often hilariously funny story of the ups and downs of the Rockstar dynasty!
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Comments
Joji 29 Mar 2007 17:31
1/2
Hopefully GTA IV can save Take 2. It'd be a shame to see them disappear because of the Hot Coffee lark and the JT religious fool.
Maybe they have to be mad to work there, I don't know.
Good luck, Take 2.
Maybe they have to be mad to work there, I don't know.
Good luck, Take 2.
zoydwheeler 29 Mar 2007 19:14
2/2
You don't have to be mad to work there, but it helps... (*ba-dum-cha!*)
