Red Dead Redemption series writer leaves Rockstar after 16 years

Red Dead Redemption series writer Michael Unsworth has signalled his departure from developer Rockstar Games, after 16 years at the company.

As spotted by GTAForums user Rucke, Unsworth recently updated his LinkedIn profile to indicate that he had left the company.

The former writing director had worked on virtually all of Rockstar’s major releases over the past 16 years. Notably, he’s one of only three writers credited for both Red Dead Redemption games’ stories (alongside Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser).

Unsworth is also credited for dialogue writing in Grand Theft Auto V and IV, Max Payne 3, LA Noire, Midnight Club: Los Angeles and more.

Rockstar Games, which is now in its 24^th year of operation, has seen several high-profile departures in recent years.

In 2020, veteran Grand Theft Auto writer and producer Lazlow Jones left the company. Jones had worked on the series for nearly 20 years, best known for producing the dialogue for the series’ characters and satirical radio stations, as well as appearing as the host of GTA V’s Chattersphere and Fame or Shame.

Dan Houser, Rockstar’s creative lead of more than 20 years, left the studio in the same year. In 2016, influential Rockstar North president Leslie Benzies also departed.

Rockstar Games’ parent company Take-Two played down the impact of Houser’s departure in February 2020, insisting that “things couldn’t be better” at the Grand Theft Auto studio.

Rockstar’s owner has recently forecast a sharp jump in sales during its next fiscal year beginning in April 2024, driven by the release of “several groundbreaking titles”, leading to speculation that GTA 6 could be released during this period.

In one of the games industry’s most high-profile data leaks, more than an hour of GTA 6 development footage was published online last September, giving players their first look at the sequel to one of the best-selling games ever.