Sam Houser | |
|---|---|
 Houser in the mid-2010s | |
| Born | Samuel Houser November 1971 (age 54) London, England |
| Alma mater | University of London University of Cambridge |
| Occupation | Video game producer |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Spouse | Anouchka Houser |
| Mother | Geraldine Moffat |
| Family | Dan Houser (brother) |
Samuel Houser (born November 1971) is an English video game producer. He is a co-founder and the current president ofRockstar Games, and is one of the creative driving forces behind theGrand Theft Auto franchise, having been its producer sincethe third game. His brotherDan was Rockstar's vice president of creativity until 2020.
Samuel Houser was born inLondon in November 1971,[1][2][3] the son of actressGeraldine Moffat and solicitor Walter Houser. His younger brother,Dan Houser, co-foundedRockstar Games with him.[4] He was educated atSt Paul's School, theUniversity of London, and theUniversity of Cambridge.[5] He drew inspiration from crime films at an early age because his mother often appeared in that genre. As a child,The Getaway briefly inspired him to become a bank robber.[6] Games likeElite andMr. Do! were his favourite games growing up, with the former allowing him to explore his "bad boy" side at an early age.[7]
Houser joinedBertelsmann Music Group in 1990, working in the company'spost room. In 1994, he was named to BMG's new interactive entertainment division. By 1996, Houser became Head of Development at BMG Interactive.[8]
Houser became a video producer for BMG Interactive after he and his father had lunch with the executive producer of the music label, who claimed that Houser had some good ideas.[9] After BMG partnered with a small CD ROM company, Houser transferred to the Interactive Publishing division of BMG in order to work closely with developing video games.[10]
Credited as executive producer, Houser is also the creator of several of the games in theGrand Theft Auto series with his brother Dan. OnGrand Theft Auto III his responsibilities were, in his words, to be "militant on ensuring the game had a look, a sound, a story and a feel that worked".[11] His description of the series as a whole is that the three sixth-generationGrand Theft Auto games form a "trilogy, [featuring] our distorted look at the East Coast around the time of the millennium (Grand Theft Auto III), followed by our reinterpretation of '80s Miami (Vice City), and lastly, our look at early-'90s California (San Andreas)".[12]
Despite their status as the creators ofGrand Theft Auto, one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, Houser and his brother both prefer to avoid the media spotlight and instead focus on the Rockstar Games brand rather than any one person getting the credit for the games' success.[13] In 2009, both brothers appeared inTime magazine's100 most influential people of 2009 list.[14] Houser also producedMax Payne 3 andGrand Theft Auto V.[15]
Houser was inducted into theAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences' Hall of Fame in 2014.[16] He was portrayed byDaniel Radcliffe in the 2015 television filmThe Gamechangers.[17]
In May 2025, Houser and his brother were listed in theSunday Times Rich List with an estimated net worth of £400 million.[18]
Houser and his wife Anouchka married by 2005 and had children.[19] Houser holds both British and American citizenship, having acquired the latter in 2007.[20][21] He lives in theBrooklyn borough of New York City.[20] As of 2016, Houser and his wife were directors of the Houser Foundation Inc. in New York, alongside Dan and his wife Krystyna.[1]
