Rockstar Games announced it’s acquiring Video Games Deluxe, the Sydney-based studio behind L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files (2017) and the shelved Quest port of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004).
The details of the acquisition haven’t been made public, however Rockstar says in a press statement that Video Games Deluxe has now been renamed to ‘Rockstar Australia’, and will “continue [its] efforts to make the best games possible.”
In addition to those VR ports, Video Games Deluxe is best known for its work on hit detective game L.A. Noire (2011), as well as the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy (2021) compilation, which brought GTA III (2001), GTA: Vice City (2002) and GTA: San Andreas to mobile and modern consoles.
Shortly before the compilation’s re-release in late 2021 though, Rockstar and Meta (then Facebook) announced they were working to port GTA: San Andreas (2004) to Quest 2, which was slated to be led by Video Games Deluxe.
Rockstar never publicly announced Video Games Deluxe was involved, likely owing to the fact the port was cancelled shortly thereafter, however in a 2020 job listing the studio tipped its hand by announcing it was creating a “AAA open world title in VR” for Rockstar.
As a long-time support studio for Rockstar, the acquisition likely won’t change much for any potential revival of GTA: San Andreas for Quest. After years of silence, Meta confirmed with IGN in August 2024 the project was put “on hold indefinitely.”
