Sam Houser

Sam Houser (born 1971) is a British video game producer[1][4] and voice actor. He is the co-founder and president of Rockstar Games and one of the creative driving forces behind the games in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, being producer since the third game. He is responsible for taking GTA into the 3D-environment era, creating realistic cities under fully 3D-engines and turning the series into huge profits during video gaming's sixth-generation era.

Sam Houser
Born1971 (age 48–49)
London
NationalityBritish[1][2]
Alma materSt Paul's School, London
University of London
OccupationVideo game producer, voice actor
Years active1996–present
OrganizationRockstar Games (President)
Known forGrand Theft Auto
FamilyWalter Houser (father)
Geraldine Moffat (mother)
Dan Houser (brother)
AwardsAIAS Hall of Fame Award (2014)[3]

Early life

Sam Houser was born in London in 1971.[5] He is the son of solicitor Walter Houser and actress Geraldine Moffat, and brother to Dan Houser.[6] Sam drew inspiration from crime films at an early age because his mother was an actor in that genre of film. As a child, The Getaway was Sam's main source of inspiration to become an aspiring "bank robber".[7] Arcade games like Elite and Mr. Do! were Sam's favourite games growing up. Elite was a "space mugger" game according to Sam, allowing him to explore his "bad boy" side at an early age.[8]

Career

Sam became a video producer for BMG Interactive after he and his father had lunch with the executive producer of the music label, who claimed that Houser had some good ideas.[9] After BMG partnered with a small CD ROM company, Sam transferred to the Interactive Publishing division of BMG in order to work closely with developing video games.[10]

Credited as executive producer, Houser is also the creator of several of the games in the Grand Theft Auto series with his brother Dan. On Grand Theft Auto III his responsibilities were, in his words, to be "militant on ensuring the game had a look, a sound, a story and a feel that worked."[11] His description of the series as a whole is that the three sixth-generation Grand Theft Auto games form a "trilogy, [featuring] our distorted look at the East Coast around the time of the millennium (Grand Theft Auto III), followed by our reinterpretation of '80s Miami (Vice City), and lastly, our look at early-'90s California (San Andreas)."[12]

Despite their status as creators of Grand Theft Auto, one of the most successful video game franchises of all-time, Houser and his brother Dan have shied away from the media spotlight, focusing instead on the Rockstar Games brand, rather than any one person getting the credit for the games' success.[13] In 2009, both Sam and Dan Houser appeared in Time magazine's 100 most influential people of 2009 list.[14] Houser also produced Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto V.

Houser was portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe in the 2015 television film The Gamechangers.

Personal life

Houser became an American citizen in 2007.[15] He lives in Brooklyn.[16]

Executive producer

Voice actor
gollark: Why would I disclose it in public chat?
gollark: It's too late, I already derived it.
gollark: Here is some proof.
gollark: "Oh yes, the base is now full of chickens, I will keep manually acquiring eggs and holding rightclick" - a very smart person.
gollark: How would you do it THAT MANY times and not notice?

References
  1. "GTA4 Sam Houser Interview from 1UP.com". Retroroundup.1up.com. 29 April 2008. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  2. Mark Butler. "Rockstar: "Grand Theft Auto Is A British Response To Americana"". FMV Magazine. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  3. "D.I.C.E Special Awards". Retrieved 22 January 2017.
  4. Mark Butler. "Rockstar: "Grand Theft Auto Is A British Response To Americana"". FMV Magazine. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  5. "Sam Houser's CV - in his own words | Games industry news | MCV". Mcvuk.com. Archived from the original on 6 November 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  6. "Meet The Brains Behind Grand Theft Auto". Stuff.co. 27 December 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  7. Kushner, David (2012). Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. Haboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 6.
  8. Kushner, David (2012). Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 6, 7.
  9. Kushner, David (2012). Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. Haboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 10, 15.
  10. Kushner, David (2012). Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. Haboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 17.
  11. IGN Staff (10 September 2001). "Rockstar's Sam Houser Mouths Off". IGN. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  12. "Sam Houser Interview". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  13. Ryan P. (18 May 2012). "Gaming Gods: Dan and Sam Houser". The Gamer's Hub. Archived from the original on 20 May 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  14. Selman, Matt (30 April 2009). "Sam and Dan Houser - The 2009 TIME 100". Time Magazine. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  15. "GTA4: Sweet Land of Liberty from". 1UP.com. 29 April 2008. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  16. "GTA4: Sweet Land of Liberty from". 1UP.com. 29 April 2008. Archived from the original on 28 February 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2013.
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