Red Dead Redemption 2 and Bloodborne unexpectedly have something in common. GTA creator points to the source of credibility in open worlds

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As a huge fan of Rockstar’s games, I was really surprised to hear Dan Houser talk about the inspiration behind Red Dead Redemption 2 in a recent interview. He mentioned that while creating the game’s incredible atmosphere, he actually drew as much from Victorian-era novels as he did from classic Western films! It’s not something you’d immediately pick up on while playing, unlike some games that wear their influences on their sleeve, but it’s fascinating to think about how those seemingly different worlds connected in the game’s development.

While developing Red Dead Redemption 2, Houser immersed himself in classic Victorian literature. He listened to audiobooks of novels by authors like George Eliot and Arthur Conan Doyle (creator of Sherlock Holmes) during his commute, carefully studying their writing styles and storytelling methods.

To prepare for creating Red Dead Redemption 2, I immersed myself in Victorian novels. I especially enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Middlemarch by George Eliot—whose real name was Mary Ann Evans. That’s what he said.

Houser explained that basing the game’s story on novels allowed for a more complex and immersive narrative in Red Dead Redemption 2. He wanted the story to be rich, with multiple storylines, and deeply connected to the game’s world. He also felt that given the game’s beautiful graphics, the story needed to be equally impressive and ambitious.

Dickens and open worlds – surprisingly close to each other

The creators of Red Dead Redemption 2 didn’t initially set out to draw inspiration from literature. However, after a journalist pointed out similarities between the Grand Theft Auto series and the novels of Charles Dickens, Sam Houser began to see a connection. He realized both the games and Dickens’s work explore the complexities of society, portraying a wide range of characters and their interconnected lives.

Great novelists like Dickens, Zola, and Tolstoy create worlds that feel incredibly complete and immersive – that’s the same feeling we aim for in open world games. We want to present a society, often with a unique and compelling twist, as if viewed through a distorted lens.

The developer also noted that books, like open-world games with their various quests and stories, offer a long, unfolding narrative. They also highlighted how classic literature of the time emphasized a feeling of realism – focusing on how events unfold and making characters feel truly present – which mirrors the experience of playing video games.

I’ve been following the interviews with Dan Houser lately, he’s doing them to promote his new book, ‘A Better Paradise.’ He’s been dropping some really interesting details about how Red Dead Redemption 2 was made. He also talked about the trouble Rockstar got into with the US government back when GTA was first becoming huge, and his take on where AI technology is going. It’s all pretty fascinating stuff for a gamer like me!

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2025-12-05 14:36