Post by Klark on Apr 1, 2007 18:17:28 GMT -5
For those that don't know, Rockstar is the maker of such games as Grand Theft Auto, Bully, Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition and many more.
Here's the article but I've reposted it here for easy access.
"Rockstar Games has seen it all in this industry. Its flagship franchise Grand Theft Auto has reached a point where few, if any other, games have been. Streaking with ingenious game design and a smash-mouth attitude, the games created by brothers Sam and Dan Houser along with their buddy Terry Donovan have combined to sell 50 million copies worldwide and counting.
Revenues to the tune of billions have come in and will keep on flowing with the release of Grand Theft Auto IV this fall, yet, like a real rockstar, you only see the dreamy life on the surface. It's what's happening inside that's more interesting.
No, the founding trio are not into drugs or devil worship, but their gig seems to have hit a snag, or two, or three, maybe more the past few years. With publisher Take-Two Interactive embroiled in scores of legal and corporate battles from within and without, it's no surprise that the stars, are themselves getting rocked.
Wired.com interviewed the founders and a lot was revealed on what kind of trouble the proponents of virtual crimes are in. Lawsuits for explicit content, anomalous accounting and improper corporate practices have further raised the notoriety on the already infamous firm.
Things came to a head as rumors spread across blogs a couple of weeks back that Microsoft may buy Take Two. The news was later proven premature and was negated entirely. Observers say that the company and the franchise is on the fast lane to self-destruction, but company bigwigs are saying otherwise.
Is this the beginning of the end for the lads at Rockstar? Or is this an exercise of the modern axiom "bad news is good news?" We'll see, won't we?"
However, follow that up by this article and you'll see that Rockstar in the news is an everyday event almost.
"Not too long after the changing of the guard and the release of the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer comes another new, yet unsurprising news tidbit for Take-Two Interactive. Its media and political backlash for the trailer of the game which, for all intents and purposes, looks to be a caricature of New York City.
According to Game Politics, there's a rather bleak reception towards the inclusion of a fictional "New York" within the game. Of these though, perhaps the most expressive was the one from the NY Daily News' own declaration, which reads:
The latest version of an ultraviolent video game will unleash its murderous mayhem on the streets of New York. And outraged political leaders say the rampant brutality of the game, Grand Theft Auto IV, has little in common with reality. …(GTA4) is set in a mythical city that bears a striking resemblance to New York… the trailer shows well-known landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Cyclone in Coney Island…
Of the comments from the politicians, however, the analogy by City Councilman Peter Vallone also put the political perspective behind it best: "Setting Grand Theft Auto in the safest big city in America would be like setting Halo in Disneyland."
As the protagonist says in the trailer, "Life is complicated; I killed people, smuggled people, sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different." Perhaps, dear reader, there's hope that GTA IV won't be as one-sided as people make it out to be. We definitely hope so."
Honestly, I just hope that no matter what happens, Rockstar doesn't stop making games! I love how in depth their games are. I mean the missions are short enough to pick up and drop, but the length of the game leaves you feeling that you really took part in a story. Not to mention, as with the Grand Theft Auto games, all the mini-games included makes you feel like you bought several games and not just one. I, personally, love Rockstar.
Here's the article but I've reposted it here for easy access.
"Rockstar Games has seen it all in this industry. Its flagship franchise Grand Theft Auto has reached a point where few, if any other, games have been. Streaking with ingenious game design and a smash-mouth attitude, the games created by brothers Sam and Dan Houser along with their buddy Terry Donovan have combined to sell 50 million copies worldwide and counting.
Revenues to the tune of billions have come in and will keep on flowing with the release of Grand Theft Auto IV this fall, yet, like a real rockstar, you only see the dreamy life on the surface. It's what's happening inside that's more interesting.
No, the founding trio are not into drugs or devil worship, but their gig seems to have hit a snag, or two, or three, maybe more the past few years. With publisher Take-Two Interactive embroiled in scores of legal and corporate battles from within and without, it's no surprise that the stars, are themselves getting rocked.
Wired.com interviewed the founders and a lot was revealed on what kind of trouble the proponents of virtual crimes are in. Lawsuits for explicit content, anomalous accounting and improper corporate practices have further raised the notoriety on the already infamous firm.
Things came to a head as rumors spread across blogs a couple of weeks back that Microsoft may buy Take Two. The news was later proven premature and was negated entirely. Observers say that the company and the franchise is on the fast lane to self-destruction, but company bigwigs are saying otherwise.
Is this the beginning of the end for the lads at Rockstar? Or is this an exercise of the modern axiom "bad news is good news?" We'll see, won't we?"
However, follow that up by this article and you'll see that Rockstar in the news is an everyday event almost.
"Not too long after the changing of the guard and the release of the Grand Theft Auto IV trailer comes another new, yet unsurprising news tidbit for Take-Two Interactive. Its media and political backlash for the trailer of the game which, for all intents and purposes, looks to be a caricature of New York City.
According to Game Politics, there's a rather bleak reception towards the inclusion of a fictional "New York" within the game. Of these though, perhaps the most expressive was the one from the NY Daily News' own declaration, which reads:
The latest version of an ultraviolent video game will unleash its murderous mayhem on the streets of New York. And outraged political leaders say the rampant brutality of the game, Grand Theft Auto IV, has little in common with reality. …(GTA4) is set in a mythical city that bears a striking resemblance to New York… the trailer shows well-known landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Cyclone in Coney Island…
Of the comments from the politicians, however, the analogy by City Councilman Peter Vallone also put the political perspective behind it best: "Setting Grand Theft Auto in the safest big city in America would be like setting Halo in Disneyland."
As the protagonist says in the trailer, "Life is complicated; I killed people, smuggled people, sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different." Perhaps, dear reader, there's hope that GTA IV won't be as one-sided as people make it out to be. We definitely hope so."
Honestly, I just hope that no matter what happens, Rockstar doesn't stop making games! I love how in depth their games are. I mean the missions are short enough to pick up and drop, but the length of the game leaves you feeling that you really took part in a story. Not to mention, as with the Grand Theft Auto games, all the mini-games included makes you feel like you bought several games and not just one. I, personally, love Rockstar.