Rockstar London Limited
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FoundedNovember 2005; 18 years ago (2005-11)
FounderMark Washbrook
Headquarters
London
,
England
ProductsManhunt 2
ParentRockstar Games

Rockstar London Limited is a British video game developer and a studio of Rockstar Games based in London. Mark Washbrook established the company in November 2005 within Rockstar Games' European publishing offices. The studio's first game was Manhunt 2, which it took over from Rockstar Vienna after that studio was shut down in May 2006. Rockstar London later developed Midnight Club: L.A. Remix and co-led the development of Max Payne 3. Washbrook left the company in January 2011.

History

Mark Washbrook established Rockstar London for publisher Rockstar Games "from scratch".[1] The setup was in progress by November 2005 at Rockstar Games' European publishing headquarters, then also known as Rockstar London, on King's Road in London.[2][3] Washbrook assumed the role of studio head.[4] After Rockstar Vienna was shut down in May 2006, Rockstar London was tasked with completing the former's Manhunt 2.[5] The game was announced as Rockstar London's debut title in February 2007 and released that October.[6][7] It developed Midnight Club: L.A. Remix, a PlayStation Portable adaptation of Midnight Club: Los Angeles, which was released in October 2008.[8]

In January 2011, Washbrook announced his resignation.[4] His departure coincided with that of Mark Lloyd, the studio head of Rockstar Lincoln.[1][4] Rockstar Games stated that neither departure would affect the studios' active projects.[4] Washbrook went on to work for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe and, alongside Lloyd, joined Activision's mobile-focused Activision Leeds studio in May 2012.[1] Rockstar London was one of four studios—alongside Rockstar New England, Rockstar Toronto, and Rockstar Vancouver—leading the development of Max Payne 3, released in 2012.[9] The studio worked alongside all other Rockstar Games studios on Red Dead Redemption 2, which was released in October 2018.[10]

Accolades

Rockstar London was a finalist for the "Best New UK/European Studio" award at the 2008 Develop Industry Excellence Awards.[11][12]

Games developed

List of games developed by Rockstar London
Year Title Platform(s) Publisher(s) Notes
2007 Manhunt 2 PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Windows Rockstar Games
2008 Midnight Club: L.A. Remix PlayStation Portable
2012 Max Payne 3 macOS, PlayStation 3, Windows, Xbox 360 Developed as part of Rockstar Studios
2013 Grand Theft Auto V PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S Supportive development for Rockstar North
2018 Red Dead Redemption 2 PlayStation 4, Stadia, Windows, Xbox One Developed as part of Rockstar Games

References

  1. ^ a b c Martin, Matt (22 May 2012). "Ex-Rockstar bosses working with Activision Leeds studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  2. ^ Loughrey, Paul (22 November 2005). "Rockstar London establishes new development studio". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  3. ^ Carless, Simon (21 November 2005). "Rockstar To Open New London Development Studio". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d Alexander, Leigh (27 January 2011). "Rockstar London Studio Head Resigns". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  5. ^ Carless, Simon (1 November 2007). "Manhunt 2 Gets Rockstar Vienna Crediting Controversy". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  6. ^ Kuchera, Ben (8 February 2007). "Manhunt 2 coming to the PS2, PSP, and... Wii?". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  7. ^ Bangeman, Eric (24 August 2007). "Manhunt 2 will see Halloween release date after getting M rating". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  8. ^ Brice, Kath (4 July 2008). "Rockstar working on Midnight Club: LA Remix for PSP". Pocket Gamer. Archived from the original on 14 November 2020. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  9. ^ Totilo, Stephen (6 October 2011). "We Watched them Play Max Payne 3 , and We Were Very Impressed". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  10. ^ Crecente, Brian (24 October 2018). "The Story Behind the Story of 'Red Dead Redemption 2'". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Develop Industry Excellence Awards 2008". GamesIndustry.biz. 5 June 2008. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
  12. ^ "Develop Awards 2008". GamesIndustry.biz. 31 July 2008. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 9 December 2017.
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