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Dan Houser says comparisons between his new games and the Grand Theft Auto titles he helped create could be “no greater compliment”—but he also hopes Absurd Ventures’ projects will succeed in their own right. His measure of success, as he described it, is making work with integrity and freshness that he can be proud of, rather than treating anything short of the biggest hit as failure.
What Dan Houser said about comparing new games with GTA
In a Variety interview reported by GamesRadar+, Houser acknowledged that people may compare future Absurd Ventures games with the Grand Theft Auto games he worked on. He described that comparison as potentially flattering, while emphasizing that he wants the new projects to establish themselves independently:
“I mean, hopefully, on some level there could be no greater compliment. On another level, I hope some of the stuff we make is going to be successful in its own right.”
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GamesRadar+’s account of the Variety interview reports that Houser also said it would be disappointing if the new work proved less impactful, while noting that creating anything is a privilege. The two ideas are compatible: he values the legacy of GTA, but does not want it to be the only standard by which the new work is judged.
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How Houser says he measures creative success
Houser said making GTA games involved substantial pressure. He described a different yardstick for approaching new work: make it with integrity, ask whether it feels fresh, and allow the outcome to follow. In his view, a project failing to become “the biggest thing ever” does not automatically mean its creators have failed.
“Certainly, there was a lot of pressure making any GTA game when I was on them.”
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This is not a claim that commercial success does not matter. Rather, his reported comments distinguish between aiming to make successful work and defining success solely by whether a game becomes a record-breaking hit. For a new studio’s projects, creative pride and originality are part of the stated goal, alongside the hope that players will embrace them.
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Related interview coverage reports two games in development at Absurd Ventures. Their publicly described concepts differ in tone and premise:
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- The biggest, most dynamic and most diverse open world ever created and now packed with layers of new detail.
- Grand Theft Auto V blends storytelling and gameplay in new ways as players repeatedly jump in and out of the lives of the game's three lead characters, playing all sides of the game's interwoven story.
- Grand Theft Auto V also comes with Grand Theft Auto Online, the dynamic and ever-evolving Grand Theft Auto universe for multiple players.
| Project | What has been described | What is not established in the cited coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Open-world comedy | Houser described a game leaning into comedy and “character memory.” | Specific mechanics, platforms, title, release date, and commercial plans. |
| Dystopian science-fiction story | A story about game development going wrong and a rogue AI becoming sentient. | Specific mechanics, platforms, title, release date, and commercial plans. |
GamesRadar+ reported Houser saying that more information about the comedy would arrive “in the next few months” at the time of that interview. That was a relative statement made then, not a current release schedule or confirmation that a reveal has occurred. The coverage does not give confirmed launch dates for either project.
GamesRadar+’s related interview report also quotes Houser describing the comedy project as an “open-world comedy” focused on “comedy and character memory,” and outlines the dystopian AI premise.
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- The biggest, most Dynamic and most diverse open world ever created and now packed with layers of new detail
- Grand Theft Auto V blends storytelling and gameplay in new ways as players repeatedly jump in and out of the lives of the game's three lead characters, playing all sides of the game's interwoven story
- Grand Theft Auto V also comes with Grand Theft Auto Online, the Dynamic and ever evolving Grand Theft Auto universe for multiple players
Why Houser says he is avoiding GTA 6
Houser said he had not watched GTA 6 and intended to avoid it, as well as other open-world games, because he did not want them to distract or disrupt his creative process:
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He also discussed trying to find new ways to make and market open-world games. His stated reason for avoiding GTA 6 is therefore about protecting his creative focus while working, not a rejection of the series or a judgment about the game.
What the comments do—and do not—say about release plans
The interview coverage offers a high-level view of Houser’s creative aims and two projects’ premises, not a launch announcement. It does not establish release dates, platforms, budgets, detailed gameplay, or how the games will perform commercially. The most grounded takeaway is that Houser is comfortable with GTA comparisons as a compliment, while hoping the new work earns an identity and success of its own.
The quotations here are attributed to Houser in a Variety interview as reported by GamesRadar+. The original Variety article or transcript was not available through the reporting route cited, so the wording is not independently verified against a transcript.
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