Sam Houser Backs Out of Rare GQ Interview Just Weeks Before GTA 6 Launches

Fans hoping to hear from the man behind Grand Theft Auto will have to keep waiting. Rockstar Games co-founder and president Sam Houser has pulled out of a long-planned GQ interview, according to the journalist who was set to conduct it.

Houser is one of the most private figures in the games industry. Only a handful of interviews with him have ever been published, and he has largely let Rockstar's games speak for him. With Grand Theft Auto VI arriving on November 19, GQ's profile would have been a landmark moment for fans, a chance to hear from the executive who has led the studio for more than two decades.

Four years in the making

The news came from writer Sam White, who revealed on X that the interview is no longer happening. White said he had spent roughly four years in conversation with Rockstar about getting time with Houser. Rockstar confirmed back in April that the interview would go ahead.

That changed in recent weeks. According to White, Houser decided to step back "mostly for personal reasons." White said he had already prepared his questions for the day, and relayed Houser's response with a shrug: "I'm good, lads." White added that he respects the decision.

Still, he didn't hide his disappointment. White described coming away empty-handed after such a long effort as "gutting," and said he had considered Houser a perfect subject for what could have been the biggest GQ profile of his career. He noted that it had been a difficult year personally, and said he is moving on to the next project.

A missed opportunity for fans

The timing makes the cancellation sting. GTA VI is widely seen as the culmination of Houser's long run leading Rockstar, a project that has reshaped expectations for open-world games. Few insights from the company's president have ever reached the public, so a wide-ranging conversation about the game, the studio and his own views on the medium would have been a rare find.

There is no indication from Rockstar that another interview with Houser is planned before launch. For now, the game itself remains the main way he is communicating with players.

More GTA 6 news in the run-up to launch

Rockstar's promotional push is picking up in other ways. New screenshots have appeared in a fashion magazine, a GTA 6 mural is being painted in New York City, and the Miami Heat are rebranding as Vice City for a release-week game, part of a wider collaboration with Rockstar.