By Sagar V. Mankar 
Rockstar Games has acquired Video Games Deluxe, a Sydney-based development studio, and renamed it Rockstar Australia. This brings a longtime partner officially into the Rockstar family after years of working together.
The acquisition was announced in a press release, though they didn’t share how much money changed hands.
Video Games Deluxe has been Rockstar’s go-to partner for several years, most notably stepping in to fix the initially troubled Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition.
“After working together closely over many years, we are excited to have Video Games Deluxe join the team as Rockstar Australia,” said Jennifer Kolbe, Rockstar Games Head of Publishing.
There’s quite a history between these companies. Video Games Deluxe was founded by Brendan McNamara, who previously led Team Bondi – the studio behind the innovative detective game L.A. Noire. After Team Bondi closed down, McNamara started Video Games Deluxe, which kept the Rockstar partnership going.
“It’s been an honor to work closely with Rockstar Games this past decade,” McNamara said. “We are thrilled to be a part of Rockstar Games and to continue our efforts to make the best games possible.”
The studio has built a solid reputation fixing up and modernizing Rockstar’s older games. They worked on the 2017 re-releases of L.A. Noire, created L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files, and recently saved the day by updating Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition for mobile devices, Netflix, and modern consoles.
It’s worth noting that Video Games Deluxe isn’t the same as Grove Street Games – the developer behind the widely criticized initial release of the GTA Trilogy remasters in 2021. According to reports, Rockstar brought in Video Games Deluxe specifically to clean up that mess, and they did a pretty good job of it.
This acquisition comes as Rockstar gears up for the release of Grand Theft Auto 6, set to drop in fall 2025. While we don’t know exactly what Rockstar Australia will be working on, they could end up supporting GTA 6 development or possibly continuing their work on remasters of other classic Rockstar titles.
With their expertise in revitalizing older games, fans are already speculating about what might get the remaster treatment next. GTA 4? The Red Dead Redemption games? Maybe even cult classics like Manhunt or Midnight Club?
McNamara’s return to the official Rockstar umbrella is interesting, considering his previous studio Team Bondi shut down amid allegations of difficult working conditions during L.A. Noire’s development. Despite that history, Video Games Deluxe’s quality work has apparently earned them a permanent spot in Rockstar’s global studio network.