Dan Houser, author of 'A Better Paradise - Volume 1: An Aftermath' - Rockstar Games co-founder discusses writing for 'Grand Theft Auto', different places for different stories, and the weight of expectation

Dan Houser was the lead writer, creative director and co-founder of Rockstar Games. Rockstar are the studio behind the 'Grand Theft Auto' and 'Red Dead Redemption' series. They're responsible for over half a billion video game sales. 'GTA V' and 'Red Dead Redemption 2' are both in the top 5 bestselling video games ever... and Dan wrote them. Since leaving Rockstar, he's set up Absurd Ventures, a studio he says will create new universes in video games, podcasts, animation, and now it's spawned his debut novel. 'A Better Paradise - Volume 1: An Aftermath' is the start of a world of stories across different forms of media. Here's the blurb - Mark Tyburn dreams of building the perfect video game. Kurt Fischer dreams of being a rich and successful executive. Daisy Tyburn dreams of having the ideal father. John Tyburn Smith dreams of fitting in. NigelDave just dreams of becoming human. Set in the near future, A BETTER PARADISE tells the story of the ill-fated development of an ambitious but addictive video game project that goes very wrong. As the software they developed starts to produce unexpected and disturbing results, the project is shut down and abandoned. Until now. We discuss what he's learned from writing his first novel and how that'll influence future stories. Also you can hear how he dealt with the weight of expectation while working on the biggest video games around, how he's trying to build boundaries, and how he knows where a story idea will live. There's also a good amount of chat about GTA's fantastic radio stations. Get a copy of the book - uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutine This episode is sponsored by Ulysses. Go to to download Ulysses, and use the code ROUTINE at checkout to get 25% off the first year of your yearly subscription. Also, this episode is supported by Faber Academy. Make the most of their fantastic writing courses in 2026 at You can support the show at - patreon.com/writersroutine ko-fi.com/writersroutine @writerspod writersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Dan Houser, author of 'A Better Paradise - Volume 1: An Aftermath' - Rockstar Games co-founder discusses writing for 'Grand Theft Auto', different places for different stories, and the weight of expectation is an episode from Writer's Routine by Dan Simpson.

This episode is 56:07 long.

This episode was published on Jan 9, 2026.

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