Rockstar Co-Founder Dan Houser Says There’s No Right Way to Play an Open-World Game
Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser shared his perspective on open-world game design at a panel during the Tribeca Festival in New York City, stating that there is no single right way for players to experience the company’s games.
Houser emphasized that player enjoyment is the primary measure of success, even if that means not completing a game’s story. “If someone enjoyed a game, that’s great,” he said. “If you can’t finish a story, but you loved it in other ways: Great, I don’t care. I mean, I would like it if you finish the story because I spent ages on it. If you enjoyed it, that’s enough for you.”
The statement reflects a design philosophy that prioritizes player agency and freedom within expansive game worlds over rigid progression requirements. As the writer behind the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption franchises, Houser has shaped some of gaming’s most ambitious open-world experiences that explicitly encourage emergent, non-linear gameplay.
Houser appeared alongside his longtime creative partner Lazlow, who co-founded the multimedia studio Absurd Ventures with him after departing Rockstar Games in 2020.