Dan Houser on Lazlow and GTA writing process | Lex Fridman Podcast Clips

Dan Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games, details the long-term creative partnership with radio producer and writer Laszlo Jones, which began during the cash-strapped development of Grand Theft Auto III in 2001. Working from a windowless "cupboard" office and a grimy Chelsea apartment, the duo established a collaborative rhythm fueled by a specific diet of anchovy and onion pizza and Diet Coke. Their partnership centered on ensuring the in-game media content mirrored the tone of the game world, with Houser writing scripts and Jones providing expert audio production and voice direction. A notable dynamic of their collaboration involved the evolution of Laszlo’s in-game persona, which Houser intentionally wrote to become increasingly pathetic and degraded over a twelve-year period. Today, the pair continues to collaborate on new creative ventures, including comic books, maintaining a shared priority for creative output over corporate formality.