On March 11, 2020, Dan Houser, one of the co-founders of R Star, left.Faced with the departure of founder Dan Houser, many R-star fans were puzzled and shocked, and were also worried about the future "GTA6". After all, Dan Houser was once the vice president and chief screenwriter of R-star. There are too many classic masterpieces from him, such as "GTA3", "GTA: Sin City", "GTA: SA", "That Game 5", "Red Dead Redemption" "Red Dead Redemption 2", "Bully Rooney", "Max Payne 3", etc.

There have been shocking inside stories recently exposed about Dan Houser's departure, which may give a reasonable explanation.Obviously, Dan Houser's departure is related to "GTA6".It is reported that Dan Houser has written four stories for "GTA6", but they were all cancelled by the parent company Take Two because it was "too dark".

The following is the inside story compiled by the GTA6 Countdown

"Project Americas" - Unfinished epic by Dan Houser

In 2014, the initial version of "GTA6" was code-named "Project Americas", led by Dan Houser himself, planning to create a serious plot and dramatic thriller story.This version tells the interlaced fate of the three protagonists:

An elderly but upright policeman gradually became a participant in organized crime in order to save his son who was deeply involved in drug addiction;

His son, a devout Cuban-American youth, tries to break free from the drug world;

And the left and right hand of a Colombian drug lord, responsible for smuggling drugs to the United States through Vice City and attempting to establish its own empire in North America.

Because of its too dark, politically sensitive and heavy tone, the plot was finally rejected and announced to be cancelled by Take-Two in 2016 after several script rewrites.

Restart attempt: three variations, three failures

The version codenamed "Project Americas" began development in 2014, but was cancelled and rebooted in 2016.The first reboot of development took 18 months and was cancelled in mid-2018

After the cancellation of "Project Americas", R Star tried to restart development and performed at least three directional reconstructions:

First restart (2016-2018)

This version retains the settings of the two protagonists, the protagonists are a female policewoman and a drug dealer's right-hand man, and the Dark Ages has been reduced.

The heroine is the daughter of a policeman who died in the line of duty in Sin City. In order to avenge her father, the undercover gangster walks a tightrope in the dual identities of police and criminals;

The male protagonist has a crazy personality and acts violently. He is described as the "New Trevor" and moves from the bottom to the core of the drug empire.

The version was cancelled again in mid-2018 after 18 months of development.

The second restart (early 2019)

The second restart was only developed for a few months.The plot is similar to the first reboot, but this time: The grieving female policewoman is replaced by an African-American man, a veteran who has just been released from prison, and is trapped in the underworld.This version is also unapproved.

With all three versions of the script being rejected, Dan Houser chose to take a long vacation in the spring of 2019 and finally officially left Rockstar in 2020.The resignation news was also confirmed by the parent company Take-Two in a press release.

New direction: Sam Houser takes over, "GTA6" finale Jason and Lucia

At the end of 2019, the fourth version of the plot led by Sam Houser was finally approved by Take-Two and fully launched development in early 2020.This version of the setting is inspired by the romantic outlaw story of Bonnie and Clyde, the most notorious criminal couple and bank robber in American history. The protagonist is Jason and Lucia, a pair of lovers who set off a storm in Sin City.

Dan Houser: Leave Rockstar and start "absurd adventure"

After leaving Rockstar, Dan Houser set up a new studio "Absurd Ventures" in 2021, vowing to "get rid of corporate intervention and pursue creative freedom."The studio is currently secretly preparing for multiple cross-media projects, which are regarded by the outside world as a new chapter in Houser's creative career.