Rockstar’s Agent Was Shelved After Five Reworks, Open-World Spy Fantasy Never Clicked, Says Houser

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While Rockstar Games continues working on Grand Theft Auto 6, fans still wonder about Agent, a game originally planned only for the PlayStation 3. Though it was teased years ago, Agent never had a full announcement, and Rockstar eventually stopped renewing its trademark in 2018.

Despite the project being shelved, Rockstar Games actually explored several versions of the spy thriller. Former co-founder Dan Houser revealed in a recent interview with Lex Fridman that the team went through roughly five different attempts, but ultimately decided it just wasn’t a viable game.

We spent a lot of time developing several versions of an open-world spy game, but we couldn’t quite get it working. The game, called Agent, went through about five different attempts. Ultimately, I realized it just wasn’t coming together. I still think about it sometimes – I’d lie in bed wondering what went wrong – and I’ve come to believe that what makes a good spy story in a movie doesn’t necessarily translate well to a video game, or maybe I need to find a new approach to making it work as a game.

The game was initially presented as taking place in the 1970s during the Cold War, but that wasn’t the only idea considered. According to Dan Houser, the team explored a modern setting and experimented with many different versions of the game, working with various teams. He also expressed doubt about whether a truly good, open-world spy game is even possible, which is notable since the game was never officially described as open-world.

It’s hard to say what the game would have become – perhaps an open-world experience like Grand Theft Auto, or maybe something more similar to IO Interactive’s 007 First Light, a spy game based on James Bond. Ultimately, the team likely shifted its focus to other priorities, much like they did when they cancelled Bully 2.

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2025-11-02 19:11