Rockstar Games today is one of the most famous companies involved in the development of computer games. It is this company that is at the origins of the world famous GTA series, as well as a number of other projects, in the creation of which the main character of this article Dan Hauser took a direct part. If you have not heard this name, then this material will allow you to get acquainted with one of the most influential people in the world of computer games, as well as to trace the path he has taken and the legacy that he will reserve. Who is Dan Hauser? And what does he have to do with Rockstar Games?
early years
Dan Hauser was born in 1974 in London. He and his older brother Sam dreamed of becoming rock stars. They wanted to play concerts and become famous all over the world, however, unfortunately, their dreams were not destined to come true as the brothers would like. At the age of 21, Dan got a job at BMG Interactive, where he was responsible for testing discs. However, quite quickly another talent of Dan, as well as his brother, whom he brought with him, opened up for the company's management. It turns out that the young guys had a writing talent, and they coped well with the role of screenwriters and even producers. As a result, by 1998, when Dan was 24 years old and Sam was 26, the brothers were already working on their first game - an arcade shooter with a top view, where gamers had to steal cars, drive around a big city without any restrictions, and fulfill story tasks or just to arrange outrage on the streets. In 1999, the GTA game was released, which was the first step to the incredible success of the Hauser brothers. By that time, BMG Interactive was sold to another larger game developer, but Dan Hauser and his brother did not want to start all over again with a new leadership - they moved to New York, where they quickly disconnected from the new company, organizing their own. The company was called Rockstar Games - as you can already understand, this is a reference to the dream of two brothers, which never came true - to become rock stars. But in the end they became the stars of a completely different world.
GTA series
So, what did Sam, Dan Hausers, achieve in their life? Since this article is about the younger brother, the main emphasis will be placed on him. Dan’s most important achievement today is his participation in the creation of a series of GTA games, which is currently a cult. As you already learned, Dan became the producer and screenwriter of the first part of the game, but he did not stop there. He also produced the third part of the game at the very moment when, thanks to the transition to a three-dimensional world, the project actually became a world masterpiece. In addition, Dan was the producer of all the additions to the third part. As for the activities as a screenwriter, in this case he was responsible for writing scripts for absolutely all parts of the game and additions to them, up to the fifth part, published in 2013. It is also worth noting that Dan Hauser, whose biography is extremely rich, was not only the producer and screenwriter for the GTA game series - he also participated in the creation of the third part and additions to them as the voice actor.
Voiceover X-Squad
Since we are talking about voice acting, it is worth noting another project, which Dan Hauser took part in the sounding of. Photos of young talent then already began to appear in various subject magazines, but he wanted to realize himself at different levels. Therefore, he is listed among the voice actors for the 2000 game called X-Squad. However, immediately after this, Hauser realized that his vocation was in another, and closely engaged in the GTA series, in particular producing and writing scripts for projects that would then become legendary.
Side project
You should not think that Dan Hauser is known only for the GTA series. Rockstar Games is a company that has released many impressive computer games, and Dan was directly involved in the creation of many of them. For example, you should take into account a 2002 project called Smuggler's Run 2. This is a racing simulator for which Hauser wrote the script, and also acted in the process of creation as an executive producer. This is far from the most famous and successful game, but its example demonstrates that Dan Hauser was engaged not only in the games of the GTA series.
Bully
Until 2006, Hauser was exclusively engaged in the GTA series, which at that time needed special close attention - this was its heyday. The third part was released, turning a high-quality arcade with a top view into a masterpiece shooter in 3D. But when work on the third part of the series and all the additions to it was completed, Dan wrote the script for another game that gained serious popularity - Bully. This project tells about the life of school teens, and you have to become one of them - learn how to defend yourself from the attacks of unfriendly hooligans and walk along the incredibly exciting storyline that Dan Hauser himself created. He didn’t really like giving interviews, like his brother did - they hid most of the time in the shadow of their own studio, refusing to acknowledge personal success. But in the end, in 2009, they were still on the list of the hundred most influential people on earth. You can be modest, but you can’t get away from the truth - Dan has become one of the legendary characters in the history of the development of computer games.
Red dead redemption
The next project, in the creation of which Dan directly participated, was the Red Dead Redemption Western, designed exclusively for the PlayStation console. Again, from 2006 to 2010, he worked hard on the fourth part of the GTA series and its supplements, after which he immediately took up another major project. And again, Rockstar Games has received incredibly high ratings and universal recognition. Unlike the previous game, this time Dan was responsible not only for the script, but also for the production activities.
LA Noire
At that time, it became clear that a break had come in the GTA game series - there were even rumors that there would be no new parts. Dan started working on new projects - you already learned about RDR, it was released in 2010. In 2011, another incredible game appeared, which won huge success - it was an adventure shooter LA Noire. There you were to play the role of a detective investigating various cases. The script for this project was written by Brendan McNamara, Dan Hauser, in turn, completely focused on the production activities.
Max Payne 3
Dan worked tirelessly, and already in 2012 Rockstar released another game, in the creation of which Hauser played the most important roles. The company bought the rights to continue the legendary shooter Max Payne and released the third part, which was very different from the previous two and caused a wave of criticism. Given the fact that Dan was responsible for both writing the script and producing, he took over many of the "big shots". But this did not stop him from further work.
GTA Return
In 2013, a huge surprise awaited everyone - the Rockstar company released the fifth part of the legendary GTA series. And the script for her was written by Dan Hauser. Unlike "Max Payne", this game was perceived exclusively positively. But three years have passed since then, and new projects in which Hauser would have participated directly did not come out. This is partly due to the fact that for a long time, the fifth part of the GTA series was finalized - it was released first on consoles and only then separately on computers, then multi-user mode was added to it, and so on. But perhaps Hauser decided to take a break to find a new idea - and in the future he will delight gamers with new masterpieces.