GTA Lead Developer Opens Five New Studios

Leslie Benzies, the lead developer of every 3D Grand Theft Auto game thus far – from Grand Theft Auto III to V, and including Vice City and San Andreas – has opened five new games studios following his acrimonious split with Rockstar Games. Benzies, former President of Rockstar North, either left the company or was pushed – depending on whom you ask, and the matter is currently being fought over as part of a lawsuit Benzies brought against his former employer over unpaid royalties – back in September 2014, following a sabbatical he was “enticed” to take by Rockstar.

Rather than wait until the outcome of that lawsuit has been decided, Benzies has launched five new companies, according to The Scotsman. The companies registered with Companies House in the UK are Starship Group, VR-Chitect Limited, Everywhere Game Limited, Royal Circus Technologies Limited, and Royal Circus Games Limited.

An application to the Intellectual Properties Office (IPO) by Royal Circus Games shows that the company’s primary aim is to develop games for PC, consoles, and mobile devices and has trademarked the title Time for a New World and the hashtag #TFANW. VR-Chitect Limited, meanwhile, looks set to produce virtual reality hardware and associated peripherals from documents it has filed with the IPO.