Take-Two lands fresh Housers deal

Sam and Dan Houser, the masterminds behind Rockstar’s greatest creations, have extended their deal with publisher Take-Two.

Long-term employment agreements have been struck with Sam Houser, Dan Houser, Rockstar North’s reclusive Leslie Benzies and other key members of the creative team.

Take-Two described the deal as containing "substantially similar economic terms" to those the previous deal.

The possible end of the pair’s agreement had been the subject of industry chatter for some time now, with many privately speculating that the Houser’s and key allies could choose to walk away and instead sign with one of Take-Two’s high-profile rivals such as Activision or EA.

A number of senior managers have also made longer commitments to the publisher, including CEO Strauss Zelnick and CFO Karl Slatoff. Take-Two has also extended its deal with Zelnick’s owned company ZelnickMedia.