Ex-Rockstar boss raises $42 million for upcoming GTA 6 rival

Leslie Benzies, former President at Rockstar North working on the Grand Theft Auto series, has raised $42 million in funding for his upcoming video game, thought to be a rival to whatever GTA 6 might turn out to be. 

The development of GTA 6 has seen a host of changes among the staff at Rockstar, with a number of big names – Dan Houser in particular – leaving the company ahead of the highly anticipated title.

Fans will have to cast their mind further back for this particular departure though, which occurred in 2016.

Benzies, who was a major driving force behind some of the GTA titles (including GTA V), left under something of a cloud, leading to an acrimonious legal battle against his former employers. The dispute was eventually settled in 2018.

The former GTA lead is making a new game

Prior to that settlement from 2018, Benzies established his own video game studio, called Build a Rocket Boy Games. They are working on an upcoming sci-fi title, called Everywhere.

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However, a new report from The Telegraph suggests that new investment has been secured from a number of companies, for the value of $42 million (roughly £32 million).

One of the companies involved in the investment is reportedly Netease. The Chinese video game company are known for the Westward Journey series, as well as partnering with Activision Blizzard for the Chinese release of Overwatch.

Despite being a sci-fi title, many have considered the game to be a rival to any future GTA game, especially with some other ex-Rockstar staff members working on it.

Whether it can actually challenge GTA, the likes of which have been acclaimed and universally popular, remains to be seen, but this major new investment will help in almost every avenue of making and releasing a new title.