Dan Houser: GTA III was the game that saved Take-Two from collapse

Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser credited GTA III with helping publisher Take-Two Interactive avoid bankruptcy. He explained that in the fall of 2001, the company found itself in a critical situation: it was delisted from the stock exchange and lacked funds even to produce a sufficient number of copies of the game. Despite the shortage, demand was so high that sales continued to grow month after month—from the fall until the New Year holidays, something the team hadn't expected.

To appreciate the significance of this success, it's important to recall Take-Two's journey. Founded by Ryan Ashley Brant in the 1990s, the company began by publishing FMV games and projects from GameTek and Acclaim, and then released Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy for the Nintendo 64. A real breakthrough came with the acquisition of DMA Design and the rights to the GTA series from BMG Interactive.

However, by 2001, the publisher was facing a serious crisis. The US Securities and Exchange Commission accused Take2 of accounting fraud related to the fictitious shipment of 230,000 game copies worth $5.4 million. These shipments were fully refunded, but the company was fined $7.5 million, and founder Ryan Brant was forced to resign as CEO, leaving permanently in 2005 after the case was resolved.

Despite the scandal, Brant played a key role in the development of Take-Two and Rockstar. His contributions to the company's development are still celebrated in the industry, although he died in 2019 of cardiac arrest at the age of 49. It was the success of GTA III at a turning point that helped keep the publisher afloat and laid the foundation for the future greatness of Rockstar Games.