Sam Houser
Houser in the mid-2010s
Born1971 (age 52–53)
London, England
OccupationVideo game producer
Years active1996–present
RelativesGeraldine Moffat (mother)
Dan Houser (brother)

Sam Houser (born 1971) is an English video game producer who holds both British and American citizenship.[1][2] He is a co-founder and the current president of Rockstar Games, and is one of the creative driving forces behind the Grand Theft Auto franchise, having been its producer since the third game. His brother Dan was Rockstar's vice president of creativity until 2020.

Early life

Sam Houser was born in London in 1971,[3] the son of actress Geraldine Moffat and solicitor Walter Houser. His younger brother, Dan Houser, co-founded Rockstar Games with him.[4] He was educated at St Paul's School and the University of London. He drew inspiration from crime films at an early age because his mother often appeared in that genre. As a child, The Getaway briefly inspired him to become a bank robber.[5] Games like Elite and Mr. Do! were his favourite games growing up, with the former allowing him to explore his "bad boy" side at an early age.[6]

Career

Houser joined Bertelsmann Music Group in 1990, working in the company's post room. In 1994, he was named to BMG's new interactive entertainment division. By 1996, Houser became Head of Development at BMG Interactive.[7]

Houser became a video producer for BMG Interactive after he and his father had lunch with the executive producer of the music label, who claimed that Houser had some good ideas.[8] After BMG partnered with a small CD ROM company, Houser transferred to the Interactive Publishing division of BMG in order to work closely with developing video games.[9]

Credited as executive producer, Houser is also the creator of several of the games in the Grand Theft Auto series with his brother Dan. On Grand Theft Auto III his responsibilities were, in his words, to be "militant on ensuring the game had a look, a sound, a story and a feel that worked".[10] His description of the series as a whole is that the three sixth-generation Grand Theft Auto games form a "trilogy, [featuring] our distorted look at the East Coast around the time of the millennium (Grand Theft Auto III), followed by our reinterpretation of '80s Miami (Vice City), and lastly, our look at early-'90s California (San Andreas)".[11]

Despite their status as the creators of Grand Theft Auto, one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, Houser and his brother both prefer to avoid the media spotlight and instead focus instead on the Rockstar Games brand rather than any one person getting the credit for the games' success.[12] In 2009, both brothers appeared in Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2009 list.[13] Houser also produced Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V.[14]

Houser was inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame in 2014.[15] He was portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe in the 2015 television film The Gamechangers.[16]

Personal life

Houser holds both British and American citizenship, having acquired the latter in 2007.[17] He lives in the Brooklyn borough of New York City.[17]

Works

Executive producer

Voice actor

References

  1. ↑ Boyer, Crispin (29 April 2008). "GTA4 Sam Houser Interview from 1UP.com". Retroroundup.1up.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  2. ↑ Butler, Mark. "Rockstar: "Grand Theft Auto Is A British Response To Americana"". FMV Magazine. Archived from the original on 25 August 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  3. ↑ "Sam Houser's CV - in his own words | Games industry news | MCV". Mcvuk.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  4. ↑ Mckelvey, Ben (27 December 2012). "Meet The Brains Behind Grand Theft Auto". Stuff.co. Archived from the original on 30 March 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  5. ↑ Kushner 2012, p. 6.
  6. ↑ Kushner 2012, pp. 6–7.
  7. ↑ Ingham, Tim (11 November 2018). "Was this the biggest mistake in the history of the music business? - Music Business Worldwide". Music Business Worldwide. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  8. ↑ Kushner 2012, pp. 10, 15.
  9. ↑ Kushner 2012, p. 17.
  10. ↑ IGN Staff (10 September 2001). "Rockstar's Sam Houser Mouths Off". IGN. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  11. ↑ "Sam Houser Interview". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  12. ↑ Ryan P. (18 May 2012). "Gaming Gods: Dan and Sam Houser". The Gamer's Hub. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  13. ↑ Selman, Matt (30 April 2009). "Sam and Dan Houser - The 2009 TIME 100". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  14. ↑ Robinson, Andy (4 February 2020). "Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser to leave GTA studio". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  15. ↑ "D.I.C.E Special Awards". Archived from the original on 30 November 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  16. ↑ Krupa, Daniel (21 May 2015). "Rockstar Games Files Lawsuit Against the BBC". IGN. Archived from the original on 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  17. 1 2 Boyer, Crispin (29 April 2008). "GTA4: Sweet Land of Liberty from". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.

Bibliography

  • Kushner, David (2012). Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. Haboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN 978-0-470-93637-5.
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