It has just been discovered that the co-founder of Rockstar Games, and writer/co-writer of some of the most memorable titles, Dan Houser has backed a blockchain games studio. It has been stated he will take on the role of lead advisor for the Blockchain developers.
As the writer and co-writer of two of the most highly acclaimed games series, Red Dead Redemption, and Grand Theft Auto, Dan Houser greatly influences the gaming community. In February 2020, Houser decided it was time to step away from his role at Rockstar and begin new ventures on his own. It has even been rumored that since he has left the company, things have been slowly declining for Rockstar. In a recent article released by VGC, Dan Houser has decided that he will become the lead advisor on the advisory board for a blockchain Game Studio, Revolving Games, with over 100 employees.
As of right now, Revolving Games is developing two titles, with the first being a Battlestar-Galactica-inspired MMO strategy game, where the company has partnered with Gala Games and NBCUniversal. The second title that will be making its way to the players will be an adventure RPG with a Co-Op feature called Skyborne Legacy. This title will take inspiration from Nintendo games such as The Legend of Zelda and Animal Crossing.
In a statement to VGC, Revolving Games Co-CEO, Saad Zaeem, said,
"As the world moves from a developer-owned ecosystem to a player-owned ecosystem, Revolving Games will be at the forefront of this evolution whilst continuing to release titles that compete with the best in the traditional video games industry."
Now why is this somewhat shocking, and why may some gamers be a bit disappointed? In recent months, blockchain games have become more and more discussed as different companies have voiced their support or lack of interest with the gaming community being just as divided. While just this morning Square Enix announced their partnership with Oasys we also see executives like Phil Spencer commenting that current implementation is "more exploitive than about entertainment."
While not too much is known about the two titles that Revolving Games and Houser are working on, we do know that since the studio's launch in 2020, they have raised over $25 million to use for Web3 game development and blockchain technologies. As it stands, it looks as though the studio will only be expanding further into the development of blockchain games and studying these new technologies, and now Houser will be there every step of the way to ensure their success.