Report: Crackdown 2 developer Ruffian Games rebranded as Rockstar Dundee following acquisition

Grand Theft Auto V Image
Grand Theft Auto V Image (Image credit: Rockstar Games)

What you need to know

  • Ruffian Games is a Scottish studio best-known for developing Crackdown 2.
  • Per a new report, Ruffian Games has been acquired by Take-Two Interactive, parent company of Rockstar Games.
  • Ruffian Games has also been rebranded as Rockstar Dundee.

Update, October 14 (11:13 ET): Rockstar Games confirmed today that it has acquired and rebranded Ruffian Games as Rockstar Dundee.

According to TheGamer, Take-Two Interactive has acquired Ruffian Games, the developers of Crackdown 2. A Companies House listing points to the appointment of Take-Two Interactive as having control in the company, as well as rebranding the studio from Ruffian Games to Rockstar Dundee.

Ruffian Games is located in Dundee, Scotland and is previously best-known for developing Crackdown 2. The studio also assisted on projects like Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Crackdown 3. Several developers who previously worked on the Grand Theft Auto franchise currently work at Ruffian, so the acquisition makes sense. Rockstar North is also located in Scotland, while Ruffian has been hiring for developers to work on a project with Rockstar since 2019.

This acquisition brings the Rockstar Games division of Take-Two Interactive to 10 studios. Right now, we know Rockstar is working on a next-generation version of Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online for Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and PS5, which is set to release in the second half of 2021. Grand Theft Auto V has sold over 135 million copies as of August 2020.

Update, June 15 (11:13 pm ET) — Rockstar Games is growing

The acquisition has been confirmed and Ruffian Games has joined Rockstar Games and been renamed Rockstar Dundee. The 40-person team will be assisting the rest of Rockstar Games on future projects.

"We are thrilled to have Ruffian join the Rockstar Games family," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "The Ruffian team are a talented addition to Rockstar's global studios, and we look forward to working together on future projects."

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Samuel Tolbert
Freelance Writer

Samuel Tolbert is a freelance writer covering gaming news, previews, reviews, interviews and different aspects of the gaming industry, specifically focusing on Xbox and PC gaming on Windows Central. You can find him on Twitter @SamuelTolbert.