After blindsiding the entire internet a couple of weeks back with its GTA V announcement, Dan Houser of Rockstar has spoken to entertainment site Variety about the importance of maintaining an element of secrecy to ensure the company's games achieve their potential.
"It's really important to us that the games [feel] kind of magical," Houser said. "It might annoy people that we don't give out more information, but I think the end point is people enjoy the experience. … The less they know about how things are pieced together and how things are broken down and what our processes are, the more it will feel like this thing is alive, that you are being dragged into the experience. That's what we want."
Whilst Rockstar fans hold their breath for an announcement on GTA V's release date, we do know that another of Rockstar's projects concerning a certain surly ex-cop will be out early next year. Max Payne 3 is due to launch in March, a little over eight years since the previous game in the series, and is a title that Houser is aware must impress both new players and passionate fans alike.
"I think the challenge of nostalgia is a profound one, because one thing about videogames is your memory tends to remove the horrendous," he said. "[The games] become these great, perfect experiences. … It's definitely a challenge to get the right pitch when you want to appeal to the fans of the original and bring in a new audience."
