Jacked
The behind-the-scenes story of the world’s most notorious and controversial video games company – Rockstar Games.
Jacked is the incredible story behind the phenomenon that changed video games for ever – Grand Theft Auto.
Powerful politicians tried to stop it, parents and activists vigorously campaigned against it, but they couldn’t stop GTA breaking records. GTA IV became the biggest entertainment product launch of all time, eclipsing all other books, films and music, and went on to become the most controversial video game in history.
Now, after 10 years of research, David Kushner reveals how Sam Houser’s company, Rockstar Games, made it all possible. He lifts the veil of secrecy around the team to show how a blend of creative genius, daring PR campaigns, big egos and an obsessive work ethic all came together to create a monster with a tendency to spiral out of control. Including the full story behind ‘Hot Coffee’ – the hidden sex minigame that nearly killed the game and the company – Jacked gets right to the heart of what it takes to make a classic computer game…
David Kushner is an award-winning journalist and author. His books include Levittown: Two Families, One Tycoon, and the Fight for Civil Rights in America's Legendary Suburb, Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids: How a Gang of Geeks Beat the Odds and Stormed Las Vegas, and Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture.
Kushner is a contributing editor of Wired, Rolling Stone, and Spectrum. He has also written for publications including the New York Times Magazine, New York, GQ, and Details. A frequent guest on TV and radio, he is the digital culture commentator for National Public Radio Weekend Edition Sunday.