Rockstar Games co-founders & producer to be inducted into Hall of Fame

Rockstar Games co-founders are to be inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.

Dan Houser, co-founder and Vice President of Creativity, and his brother Sam Houser, co-founder and Executive Producer, will be the 18th and 19th entries in the Hall of Fame alongside longtime Producer and Rockstar North President Leslie Benzies, the 20th entry, the academy announced today.

Founded by the Housers back in 1998, Rockstar Games have gone on to become one of the biggest video game production companies in the world publishing critically acclaimed and financially successful titles such as Bully, Red Dead Redemption, Max Payne and LA Noire.

The studio is also the developers of the worldwide phenomenon Grand Theft Auto series which has gained worldwide acclaim and created enormous amounts of controversy in the mainstream media for its content.

Grand Theft Auto V, the 15th entry in the GTA series, launched on September 17th and quickly became the biggest launch in entertainment history, breaking $800 million in sales just 24 hours after launch and then 2 days later breaking $1 billion in sales, beating records set by The Avengers, Avatar and Call of Duty.

Critically acclaimed worldwide for its immersive world and engaging story, GTA V has currently won four Game of the Year awards and is currently nominated for a further two.

The game also broke seven Guinness World Records, outsold its predecessor GTA IV, beat The Last of Us as the biggest digital release on PlayStation and shipped over 32.5 million copies.

“Under the direction of these visionaries, Rockstar Games blazed a path for the open world genre, pushing the medium forward and repeatedly raising the bar for game design,” a statement read on the Academy’s website.

“Rockstar’s commitment to innovation, detail and a deep love of popular culture have spoiled multiple generations of fans with their well-crafted, story-driven and adrenaline-pumping games, always delivered on a grand scale.”

The Housers have also been featured in Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2009 list.

The ceremony will take place during the 17th annual D.I.C.E Awards on Thursday in Las Vegas. Hosted by Felicia Day and Freddie Wong, the event will be streamed live via Twitch.tv.