Rockstar India

Rockstar Interactive India LLP
Rockstar India
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryVideo games
FoundedAugust 2016; 10 years ago (2016-08)
Headquarters
Bengaluru
,
India
Key peopleDaniel Smith (studio director)
Number of employees
1,600+ (2026)
ParentRockstar Games

Rockstar Interactive India LLP (trade name: Rockstar India) is an Indian video game developer and a studio of Rockstar Games based in Bengaluru. The company was established in August 2016 and is led by studio director Daniel Smith. It absorbed Dhruva Interactive, India's oldest game developer, in May 2019.

History

Prior to the creation of Rockstar India, Rockstar Games had collaborated with Technicolor India, the Bengaluru-based studio of Technicolor SA, on games like Red Dead Redemption (2010), L.A. Noire (2011), and Max Payne 3 (2012). In October 2012, Technicolor and Rockstar Games announced the opening of the "Rockstar Dedicated Unit" within Technicolor India, which was to size around 80–90 people and work solely on Rockstar Games's products. Around August 2016, Rockstar Games established Rockstar India as an internal studio in Bangalore. Daniel Smith was installed as the studio manager.

In May 2019, Rockstar Games agreed to acquire Starbreeze Studios's majority stake in Dhruva Interactive, the oldest game developer in India, for US$7.9 million. Dhruva Interactive's 300-person team was to be integrated with Rockstar India, which had grown to approximately 500 employees; many continued working on existing client projects after the transition, which was advised by Dhruva Interactive's founder and chief executive officer Rajesh Rao. The acquisition was completed on 22 May.

Games developed

The studio played a supporting role in the development of Red Dead Redemption 2 and Grand Theft Auto V, being specialized on design of the open world environment and creating game assets. For the development of Grand Theft Auto VI, the studio was responsible for the Vice Beach section of the game map.

List of games developed by Rockstar India
Year Title Platform(s) Publisher(s)
2018 Red Dead Redemption 2 Windows, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox One Rockstar Games

References

  1. 1 2 "India emerges as key contributor to GTA 6's creation". The Times of India. 8 June 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 5 September 2026.
  2. ↑ Scammell, David (5 October 2012). "Rockstar partners with Technicolor to establish dedicated 'high-end art team'". VideoGamer.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  3. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (4 October 2012). "Technicolor set to play vidgames with Rockstar". Variety. Archived from the original on 20 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  4. ↑ Caoili, Eric (10 October 2012). "Rockstar sets up new art unit with Technicolor India". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 10 December 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
  5. ↑ Rateau, Julien (13 August 2016). "Rockstar ouvre un nouveau studio en Inde" [Rockstar opens a new studio in India]. Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Archived from the original on 10 February 2019. Retrieved 30 October 2018.
  6. 1 2 Winslow, Jeremy (15 May 2019). "Rockstar Games Buys India Studio Dhruva Interactive". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  7. ↑ Kerr, Chris (14 May 2019). "Rockstar acquires Indian art studio Dhruva from Starbreeze". Game Developer. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  8. ↑ Lanier, Liz (14 May 2019). "Starbreeze Sells Rockstar Its Indian Subsidiary Dhruva to Stay Afloat". Variety. Archived from the original on 14 May 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2025.
  9. ↑ "Starbreeze has closed the transaction of Indian subsidiary Dhruva" (Press release). Starbreeze Studios. 22 May 2019. Archived from the original on 7 July 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  10. ↑ Crecente, Brian (24 October 2018). "The Story Behind the Story of 'Red Dead Redemption 2'". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  11. ↑ Sharma, Anubhav (22 September 2024). "More details emerge on GTA 6 leak: Phishing scam targeted Rockstar India employee, revealing major 'Vice Beach' development plans". Notebookcheck. Retrieved 7 September 2026.
  12. ↑ "GTA 6 map location found to have an Indian origin: Details". Hindustan Times. 10 June 2025. Retrieved 7 September 2026.