Has Michael Unsworth left Rockstar Games?

[Rucke]

Seems like Michael Unsworth has left Rockstar as well now. Of course all the writing for the main story of GTA VI must be completed by now. Pretty sure most of the commercials and ped dialogue is finished as well. But it will be interesting to see if this will impact the writing on future Rockstar titles even more.

 

Michael Unsworth's linkedin

[sanjay3207]

57 minutes ago, Rucke said:

Seems like Michael Unsworth has left Rockstar as well now. Of course all the writing for the main story of GTA VI must be completed by now. Pretty sure most of the commercials and ped dialogue is finished as well. But it will be interesting to see if this will impact the writing on future Rockstar titles even more.

 

Michael Unsworth's linkedin

 

If he Michael unsworth left Rockstar games, T2 would have communicated it to their investors. He isn't just any other dev, he is probably leading the writing team at Rockstar. This is probably nothing or he got promoted to another role. 

[Spider-Vice]

27 minutes ago, sanjay3207 said:

 

If he Michael unsworth left Rockstar games, T2 would have communicated it to their investors. He isn't just any other dev, he is probably leading the writing team at Rockstar. This is probably nothing or he got promoted to another role. 

Also even if he did leave... so what? This isn't directed at you, I just don't get this Internet thing of people idolising singular creatives, there's already PLENTY of other people in writing teams working on the games, the writing teams have never been JUST Dan/Michael/Rupert. There's crap tons of other writers of all/neither genders and walks of life, and everyone can see it in the recently-published credits pages.

 

15 years at a company in the games industry is a sh*t ton of time, turn over for most developers including leads is a lot lower. This is literally a non-issue especially when VI's writing is probably already pretty much set in stone by now. Your Neil Druckmanns and Cory Barlogs are gonna quit one day too.

 

There's always this nonsense collective panic when one big creative leaves a games company (this isn't R* community specific), as if they are the ONLY ONES behind the projects.

[BakeWithMe1000]

1 hour ago, Rucke said:

Seems like Michael Unsworth has left Rockstar as well now. Of course all the writing for the main story of GTA VI must be completed by now. Pretty sure most of the commercials and ped dialogue is finished as well. But it will be interesting to see if this will impact the writing on future Rockstar titles even more.

 

Michael Unsworth's linkedin

Kinda crazy the VP of writing left now, might indicate the story is done and he now wants to pursue a different career? 

[Spider-Vice]

1 hour ago, Rucke said:

Seems like Michael Unsworth has left Rockstar as well now. Of course all the writing for the main story of GTA VI must be completed by now. Pretty sure most of the commercials and ped dialogue is finished as well. But it will be interesting to see if this will impact the writing on future Rockstar titles even more.

 

Michael Unsworth's linkedin

Also, as usual, this was posted first on the forums and it's already been tweeted out without a source 30 mins later lmao.

[Retro_Causality]

4 hours ago, Spider-Vice said:

Christ there goes this thread again with IV vs. V. Go to another thread for this crap (they do exist iirc), I'm removing it, everyone's tired of it repeating over and over in the GTA VI thread.

 

Edit: Moving on. With Retro_Casualty once again having a melty over the protagonists I see?  You ask this 6 times a month now too man.

im just waiting for october, once the reveal happens i will be in peace

[GRANDHEIST]

1 hour ago, Rucke said:

Seems like Michael Unsworth has left Rockstar as well now. 

Michael Unsworth's linkedin

The one irreplaceable person who will never leave:

[daltontigerboy]

1 hour ago, Spider-Vice said:

Your Neil Druckmanns are gonna quit one day too.

God willing.

Edited August 26, 2023 by daltontigerboy

[Retro_Causality]

auteur theory is sh*t and we still act like its a real thing int the game industry

[Spider-Vice]

Now there's something you've said I agree with.  It's bullsh*t everywhere, people still hook on to singular creatives for some reason, when nothing in the entertainment industry works in singles. It's a masssive team effort that most times is comprised by other equally talented people, sometimes more. Yes, it happens, new blood CAN be more talented and creative than old blood.

[SpiderVice_Sucks]

35 minutes ago, Spider-Vice said:

Also even if he did leave... so what? This isn't directed at you, I just don't get this Internet thing of people idolising singular creatives, there's already PLENTY of other people in writing teams working on the games, the writing teams have never been JUST Dan/Michael/Rupert. There's crap tons of other writers of all/neither genders and walks of life, and everyone can see it in the recently-published credits pages.

 

15 years at a company in the games industry is a sh*t ton of time, turn over for most developers including leads is a lot lower. This is literally a non-issue especially when VI's writing is probably already pretty much set in stone by now. Your Neil Druckmanns and Cory Barlogs are gonna quit one day too.

 

There's always this nonsense collective panic when one big creative leaves a games company (this isn't R* community specific), as if they are the ONLY ONES behind the projects.

+ always things change slightly, as how some leave and others join, it can either change in a little better, much better or reverse. If many OG leaders would leave for example, it doesn't mean it can be worser (that's only if we get unlucky), but, as we know R* , they only hire skilled people. Just imagine how many different people developed RDR2 than GTA San Andreas for example

[daltontigerboy]

40 minutes ago, Spider-Vice said:

Also even if he did leave... so what? There's always this nonsense collective panic when one big creative leaves a games company as if they are the ONLY ONES behind the projects.

13 minutes ago, Spider-Vice said:

It's bullsh*t everywhere, people still hook on to singular creatives for some reason, when nothing in the entertainment industry works in singles.

Yeah you’d really have a point…if only it was one big creative. How many has it been now?

 

At some point, the soul of a company walks right out the door with the many people who built it.
 

In my opinion you’re way off base with this “So what, it’s just one guy”  rhetoric. We’re wayyyyy passed that at this point. That may have held some water back when Leslie left.

[Spider-Vice]

Considering your comment about the Sony writers earlier I'm not gonna argue with you because I know where this will end up discourse-wise. Ironic that you think this is a problem but Neil Druckmann or Cory Barlog leaving wouldn't be a problem ("God willing.") just because you dislike them and the studios.

 

You keep on drinking your kool-aid. Over the years the eldest creatives in a studio WILL leave, and they will be replaced by newer ones, as everything in life. It does not mean the quality of what is being produced will go down. This applies to Rockstar Games, to ZA/UM, to any film or show studio, to any big games studio. Rockstar are barely BioWare or whatever. There's other people who have worked alongside those other creatives and can perfectly carry the torch, NOTHING hinges on any specific creatives just because they've been at a company for long.

 

We aren't even talking about collective sudden departures, it's been years between each of the departures you describe, so my point stll applies, is true, and any serious game developer at any studio would tell you the same. Because your discourse is the kind of thing devs keep fighting against on social media, just to give one example. Absolutely daft.

[And It Came To Pass]

I can’t really see this f*cking thing. where does it say he left, what’s he doing now

 

anyway, it’s less about seeing these blokes as art deities and more about seeing them as old hands who know what they’re doing. sh*t, other people might be more talented but I think it’s fair to wonder if their replacements have spent the same time at the coalface (they prob. have tho)

[Spider-Vice]

2 minutes ago, Lie said:

I can’t really see this f*cking thing. where does it say he left, what’s he doing now

 

His LinkedIn says "-2023" for Rockstar Games, but his current position still says "Writer", just not specifying a company. Would be mighty funny if he was still at R* but just not publicising it on LinkedIn anymore.

 

He probably did leave though, but if anything it's probably a good sign for GTA VI's development as main writing is probably done. Seriously, some of these people have been in the industry for like nearly 2 decades, they're not gonna stay in the same place forever and will leave after a sh*t ton of big projects. Staying in AAA studios doing big games with 7+ years of dev time is unsustainable for many nowadays. Plus, they're not of young age anymore either.

[And It Came To Pass]

it sucks that these people have families and interests outside of work, man. Let’s keep them locked in the writer’s room on a diet of coffee and fags forever

[daltontigerboy]

10 minutes ago, Spider-Vice said:

Considering your comment about the Sony writers earlier I'm not gonna argue with you because I know where this will end up discourse-wise. Ironic that you think this is a problem but Neil Druckmann or Cory Barlog leaving wouldn't be a problem ("God willing.") just because you dislike them and the studios.

 

You keep on drinking your kool-aid. Over the years the eldest creatives in a studio WILL leave, and they will be replaced by newer ones, as everything in life. It does not mean the quality of what is being produced will go down. This applies to Rockstar Games, to ZA/UM, to any film or show studio, to any big games studio. Rockstar are barely BioWare or whatever. There's other people who have worked alongside those other creatives and can perfectly carry the torch, NOTHING hinges on any specific creatives just because they've been at a company for long.

 

We aren't even talking about collective sudden departures, it's been years between each of the departures you describe, so my point stll applies, is true, and any serious game developer at any studio would tell you the same. Because your discourse is the kind of thing devs keep fighting against on social media, just to give one example. Absolutely daft.

I’m not here killing these guys for leaving. Yeah, 15 to 20 years at a company - no one is blaming someone for moving on after that.

 

My point is that the direction of a company and the quality of the product absolutely can and will be affected after so many key creatives have left.

 

If one wants to see how much influence one creative can have on a single game, look no further than The Last of Us 2.

 

Sure, new creatives can step in and carry the torch, but look at the state of the games industry as a whole these days. Are you really gonna argue that the torch is being carried better than it was, say…15 years ago? Now that is daft.

Edited August 26, 2023 by daltontigerboy

[Uncle Sikee Atric]

3 minutes ago, daltontigerboy said:

Sure, new creatives can step in and carry the torch, but look at the state of the games industry these days. Are you really gonna argue that the torch is being carried better than it was, say…15 years ago? Now that is daft.

 

It very much depends on the team!

 

I watch the Indie scene and revel in the work done there.  People like Tynan Sylvester have very different drives and goals other than shareholders and targets.  That is old-school dedication and beliefs in what they're making and building upon.

[TheOverlookHotel]

6 minutes ago, daltontigerboy said:

I’m not here killing these guys for leaving. Yeah, 15 to 20 years at a company - no one is blaming someone for moving on after that.

 

My point is that the direction of a company and the quality of the product absolutely can and will be affected after so many key creatives have left.

 

If one wants to see how much influence one creative can have on a single game, look no further than The Last of Us 2.

 

Sure, new creatives can step in and carry the torch, but look at the state of the games industry as a whole these days. Are you really gonna argue that the torch is being carried better than it was, say…15 years ago? Now that is daft.

Absolutely wild concept, but you never had the thought that the new writer(s) coming in could be even *gasp* better?? 

[mattdowns84]

27 minutes ago, ionutx02 said:

but, as we know R* , they only hire skilled people. Just imagine how many different people developed RDR2 than GTA San Andreas for example

I agree. There is talent that wants to have their work shown esp in the most anticipated video game currently to be developed. 

[SpiderVice_Sucks]

11 minutes ago, Spider-Vice said:

Considering your comment about the Sony writers earlier I'm not gonna argue with you because I know where this will end up discourse-wise. Ironic that you think this is a problem but Neil Druckmann or Cory Barlog leaving wouldn't be a problem ("God willing.") just because you dislike them and the studios.

 

You keep on drinking your kool-aid. Over the years the eldest creatives in a studio WILL leave, and they will be replaced by newer ones, as everything in life. It does not mean the quality of what is being produced will go down. This applies to Rockstar Games, to ZA/UM, to any film or show studio, to any big games studio. Rockstar are barely BioWare or whatever. There's other people who have worked alongside those other creatives and can perfectly carry the torch, NOTHING hinges on any specific creatives just because they've been at a company for long.

 

We aren't even talking about collective sudden departures, it's been years between each of the departures you describe, so my point stll applies, is true, and any serious game developer at any studio would tell you the same. Because your discourse is the kind of thing devs keep fighting against on social media, just to give one example. Absolutely daft.

From what I understand Leslie Benzies barely worked on RDR2 right? And is still the best Rockstar title  for both features and story wise.

I can't wait for GTA VI to release, then we find out the story is still good as RDR2's one, giving Dan Houser as example. He already left on 11 March 2020, even if he already wrote the story foundation for GTA VI.

GTA VI is still a game that was worked by many veterans, so we won't really see the changes of "Developers are leaving and the games will be bad" thing. I also wait for the next title after GTA VI to see that developer departures really doesn't affect the development of future games. They can even become much better  and more unique because different developers will join and others leave.

[And It Came To Pass]

it’s still a pretty new industry really though, and it’s growing too. so the torch flame just gets hotter and hotter…or brighter…or something.

 

but you know what, I had a quick look at npd top selling games chart 15 years ago vs last year. kinda looks like the same old same old, maybe a little more variety in 2022. S’not so bad

[met.]

What if tho...

[And It Came To Pass]

I’m starving hungry brb

[daltontigerboy]

1 minute ago, TheOverlookHotel said:

Absolutely wild concept, but you never had the thought that the new writer(s) coming in could be even *gasp* better?? 

Totally possible and welcome.

 

Unfortunately when looking at the industry as a whole over the last 5 years, there's not a ton of evidence to support that the new school of talent (especially on the writing side) is better than what we had before. In fact there's a good bit of evidence to the contrary. This is certainly not an objective thing to argue though. One man's trash is no doubt another man's treasure.

[And It Came To Pass]

Guess Unsworth won’t be getting credit, seeing as he’s leaving midway through a project 

[Spider-Vice]

12 minutes ago, Lie said:

Guess Unsworth won’t be getting credit, seeing as he’s leaving midway through a project 

He will lol, much like his position was still being updated in the GTA Online credits. If anything the writing is mostly finished so he's felt comfortable in leaving now, so he'd be credited.

[TheHoover69]

Time for Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould to make their move and join up with Rockstar Games lol

[mattdowns84]

1 minute ago, Spider-Vice said:

He will lol, much like his position was still being updated in the GTA Online credits. If anything the writing is mostly finished so he's felt comfortable in leaving now, so he'd be credited.

 

2 minutes ago, Spider-Vice said:

He will lol, much like his position was still being updated in the GTA Online credits. If anything the writing is mostly finished so he's felt comfortable in leaving now, so he'd be credited.

I am assuming the game possibly is complete start to finish.. if so, Zelnick is rubbing his palms together.

[Spider-Vice]

I mean, the game itself won't be but the narrative beats are most likely close to set in stone if not fully so.