Rockstar Games co-founder leaves, Take-Two Interactive share prices take a hit

Last month, gamers quickly picked up on a rumour that "Grand Theft Auto VI" was already in development. Insiders claimed it will be bigger than all of the previous games and will take players back to Vice City. Furthermore, the new installment is supposedly intended for next-generation systems such as the Xbox Series X and PS5. However, another type of news recently shook the video game industry when Rockstar Games co-founder Dan Houser announced his departure from the company. In addition to the shock, sources reported that Take-Two Interactive share prices slid.

Prior to his exit from the company, GameSpot recalls that Dan Houser had been on "extended break" since spring last year. This came after the controversial allegations regarding Rockstar Games' work ethics leading up to the launch of "Red Dead Redemption II" on Oct. 26, 2018. He was the lead writer working on the game studio's highly acclaimed open-world action-adventure title.

Take-Two Interactive is yet to disclose the details related to its share prices after Houser left the team. Proper steps were already taken to report his withdrawal from Rockstar Games via regulatory filings submitted to the authorities in the US. Meanwhile, the company already has a scheduled meeting with its stockholders on Thursday, where everything will be discussed related to what just happened.

Others point out that situations such as this wherein information is intentionally withheld normally has a negative effect on how investors perceive the company. Thus, Take-Two Interactive share prices took a downturn. On the other hand, Sam Houser, the co-founder's brother, is still with Rockstar Games as the president. Nevertheless, Dan was an integral part of the company's bestselling franchises: "Grand Theft Auto" and "Red Dead Redemption."

There is growing suspicion that Houser might have decided to leave because of the pressure of work while working on "Red Dead Redemption II". He previously confirmed that the team assigned to the project alongside himself experienced 100-hour work weeks at certain points during the production.

A few days ago, Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive were in the headlines when "Grand Theft Auto Online" servers went down. The timing was somewhat odd because the outage occurred while an in-game event was active. There is currently no word as to what Houser plans to do next after vacating his post. It is likely that "Grand Theft Auto IV" might be delayed as well.