GRcade

Today we got our first glimpse of the BBC's upcoming Grand Theft Auto docudrama, which examines the game's development and public scrutiny in 2002. The Gamechangers, starring Daniel Radcliffe as Rockstar president Sam Houser, covers the franchise's growth in the PlayStation 2 era and the criticism that followed regarding its portrayal of violence. Bill Paxton is playing Jack Thompson, a former attorney that famously campaigned against the series, and based on this new trailer it's clear their thorny relationship is the centerpiece of the show. In May, Rockstar said it would be filing a lawsuit against the BBC over trademark infringement -- the developer said it's had "no involvement" with the project and seemingly disapproves of it altogether. The broadcaster appears unfazed by the legal action though, as it's scheduled to air on September 15th, at 9pm on BBC Two in the UK. If you live elsewhere, however, there's no word just yet on an international release.

Fatal Exception wrote:Greatest British coding success since Bletchley Park? Sir Clive Sinclair must be spinning in his grave. If he were dead.

Cal wrote:GTA V is terribly overrated. Yeah, it's kinda fun, for a while. Then it's boring and pointless. And then I don't bother with it. If you want to gauge the cultural contribution of GTA V to society just do a search on YT for a few gameplay videos. Idiots being idiots.

I still hope there will be a few gifted individuals out there who will turn the entire premise of the game on its head and produce something thoughtful with the new Video Editor (PC only). There is definitely potential there for someone to unlock their inner filmmaker and repurpose GTA V's assets to creative effect. I really couldn't care less about the game, though. Yeah, guess IDGI.

ROCKSTAR GAMES FILES LAWSUIT AGAINST THE BBC

The 90-minute feature will focus on the real-life conflict between Rockstar President Sam Houser and the US lawyer, and outspoken critic of the GTA series, Jack Thompson, with Daniel Radcliffe and Bill Paxton playing the respective roles.

Here is Rockstar’s statement in full, issued to IGN:

"Take-Two Interactive has filed suit against the BBC for trademark infringement based on their movie currently titled ‘Game Changer’ as it relates to Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto video game series.

"While holders of the trademarks referenced in the film title and its promotion, Rockstar Games has had no involvement with this project. Our goal is to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC's pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games. We have attempted multiple times to resolve this matter with the BBC without any meaningful resolution. It is our obligation to protect our intellectual property and unfortunately in this case litigation was necessary."

The made-for-TV drama began filming on April 20th, and is currently scheduled to broadcast later in year as part of a BBC season centred on coding-based programmes and activities.

Albear wrote:I used to date someone that worked for Rockstar London, and the stories I've heard about their working practices is disgraceful.

Such a shame, because I love their games, and they do a lot of cool things for their employees, but the dark side of producing these games on time does leave a little bitter taste in my mouth sometimes.

BBC drama starring Daniel Radcliffe as the Creator of Grand Theft Auto.