Rockstar Games Acquires Video Games Deluxe, Boosting Rockstar Australia and Expanding Future Titles
Rockstar Games has officially announced the acquisition of Sydney-based developer Video Games Deluxe, marking a significant expansion of Rockstar Australia. Founded in 2013 by former Team Bondi founder Brendan McNamara, Video Games Deluxe has a long history of collaboration with Rockstar. The studio contributed to the re-release of L.A. Noire and developed the 2017 VR-only title L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files. More recently, it played a key role in improving Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition.
Rockstar Games Head of Publishing Jennifer Kolbe expressed her enthusiasm:
“After working together closely over many years, we are excited to have Video Games Deluxe join the team as Rockstar Australia.”
Video Games Deluxe founder Brendan McNamara added:
“It’s been an honor to work closely with Rockstar Games this past decade. We are thrilled to be a part of Rockstar Games and to continue our efforts to make the best games possible.”
While the acquisition price remains undisclosed, speculation about the studio’s past projects continues. In July 2020, Video Games Deluxe was recruiting for an open world VR game intended for Rockstar. However, given the current challenges in the VR gaming market, it is more likely that the studio will now focus on bolstering Rockstar’s upcoming flagship projects, including the highly anticipated launch of Grand Theft Auto VI later this Fall.
In other news, Rockstar is set to launch a major free update for Grand Theft Auto V tomorrow. This update promises a suite of technical improvements including:
NVIDIA DLSS 3 for enhanced performance and image quality
AMD FSR1 and FSR 3 for improved upscaling
Ray traced shadows, reflections, ambient occlusion, and global illumination for a more realistic visual experience
Faster loading times leveraging SSD and DirectStorage on supported devices
Enhanced support for higher resolutions, aspect ratios, and frame rates
DualSense controller support with adaptive triggers
Upgraded audio fidelity with Dolby Atmos integration and improved sound quality across speech, cinematics, and music
PC players can already preload the patch ahead of its official drop tomorrow.
What are your thoughts on Rockstar’s latest acquisition of Video Games Deluxe and the upcoming GTA V update? Do you believe this strategic move will pave the way for even bigger projects like GTA VI? Share your insights in the comments below!
