If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

GTA developer reveals how the US government tried to turn Rockstar Games into a "media bogeyman" and nearly shut down the company

During an appearance on British radio, Dan Houser recalled when the full weight of the US government came down on the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption developers

GTA 5 screenshot — Image credit: Rockstar Games

News by Trent Cannon, Senior Contributing writer

Published on Tue Dec 02 2025

Popverse's top stories

Grand Theft Auto fans have had plenty of ups and downs over the years, but that is nothing compared to what went on at Rockstar Games. The GTA VI developer earned a reputation in the PlayStation 2 era for creating living worlds filled with adult themes and often risqué storylines. That reputation didn’t just result in record sales – it also brought the full weight of the US government down on the GTA developer in their search for a “media bogeyman.”

Dan Houser was there when all of this was kicking off. He co-founded Rockstar Games and served as writer and producer on some of its biggest hits. That includes GTA 3-5, both Red Dead Redemption games, and Bully. During an appearance on the Chris Evans Breakfast Show (the UK radio DJ, not Steve Rogers), Houser recalled how the success of the GTA series “created loads of problems” for the company. Sure, it brought in a lot of money, but it also meant that powerful people looking for a scapegoat suddenly had a new target.

“Well, it brought the US government down on us,” Houser said. “They decided we were the only people on the internet peddling pornography, apparently, which was ridiculous. And they nearly shut us down. We got fined a huge amount of money. It was very disruptive to the company, and some team members quit, and it was really tough.”

The moral panic over GTA wasn’t anything new, but it showed that video games had replaced other entertainment media as the new “media bogeyman” to rail against. “They couldn’t go after Hollywood because they’re getting a lot of money out of Hollywood, and they couldn’t go after rap music as that had funky racial connotations, so go after video games. An easy bogeyman that didn’t understand the system.”

Thankfully, it wasn’t enough to shut down Rockstar, who now have GTA VI coming out next year. While it has had several release date changes over the past year, Grand Theft Auto remains the most anticipated game of 2026. Hopefully, it doesn’t upset the US government all over again.

The gaming industry has come a long way since Pong blew all our minds in the 70s. We've got everything you need to know about the next big thing in games. Of course, Grand Theft Auto VI is going to be the big game of 2026, but there are plenty of other games coming out between now and then. Here is our starter guide for every gamer: