It has been officially announced that Rockstar Games has acquired Video Games Deluxe, a studio based in Sydney, Australia. It will be renamed Rockstar Australia and will become the 12th active branch of R*. The terms of the deal are unknown.
Jennifer Kolbe, head of publishing at Rockstar Games:
After many years of collaboration, we are thrilled to announce that Video Games Deluxe is joining us as Rockstar Australia.
Brendan McNamara, head of Video Games Deluxe:
Working with Rockstar Games over the last decade has been a great honor. We are excited to become part of the company and continue our efforts to make the best video games.
The history of VGD started long before its actual founding, going back 22 years to the creation of Team Bondi, which brought L.A. Noire to the world. McNamara and his team were planning to create their next game, Whore of the Orient, but it was not meant to be. Right after the release of the noir detective game, problems began, including with the publisher, R*. The studio was first sold, then disbanded.
By 2013, Video Games Deluxe emerged. Old connections proved useful, and VGD began adapting their old creation to virtual reality. In December 2017, L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files was released. After the Australians took on another Rockstar Games project, progress stalled. Later, they had to deny rumors of a spiritual successor to their magnum opus.
Nevertheless, the developers reappeared when needed. They successfully saved GTA: Trilogy — Definitive Edition, first with its mobile release, and then with other versions.
What they will be doing in Sydney now is unclear. There were suspicions that the small team (with only up to 10 employees) without even their own website (only LinkedIn) would continue to improve the re-release of the “Trilogy”. However, in light of the full integration with the creators of GTA 6, they may face entirely new tasks.
Source: gta.com.ua