L.A. Noire Director Rejoins Rockstar Before GTA 6 Launch; Studio Acquires and Renames GTA Trilogy Developer to Rockstar Australia

In a strategic move leading up to the much-anticipated release of GTA 6, Rockstar Games has acquired Video Games Deluxe, a talented developer team from Sydney, rebranding it as Rockstar Australia. This acquisition is not their first collaboration; the two worked together on The GTA Trilogy: Definitive Edition, among other projects.

A key figure in this development is Brendan McNamara, the director of LA Noire. After his time with the now-defunct Team Bondi, he established Video Games Deluxe. Now, with this acquisition, McNamara is once again part of the Rockstar family.

Jennifer Kolbe, Rockstar Games’ head of publishing, expressed her enthusiasm about the acquisition in a BusinessWire statement, noting the strong history of collaboration between the two groups. “After working together closely over many years, we are excited to have Video Games Deluxe join the team as Rockstar Australia,” Kolbe remarked.

Video Games Deluxe had a hand in several Rockstar projects, including re-releases like LA Noire’s VR Case Files, and notably, they were involved in the pivotal update to the GTA Trilogy: Definitive Edition. This update aimed to address criticism about the original’s quality—a critique that fell largely on another developer, Grove Street Games. In fact, the CEO of Grove Street labeled Rockstar’s removal of some mentions of their studio from the game as a “dick move.”

Brendan McNamara commented on the acquisition, noting the rewarding partnership over the past decade with Rockstar Games. “It’s been an honor to work closely with Rockstar Games this past decade,” he said. “We are thrilled to be a part of Rockstar Games and to continue our efforts to make the best games possible.”

While it’s uncertain if Rockstar Australia will be directly contributing to GTA 6, the timing suggests it could be a possibility, especially as the game gears up for its slated Fall release on consoles. As for a PC version, Rockstar has not yet revealed any specific launch time for it, despite some back-and-forth statements from a company executive that briefly stirred the gaming community.