Summary
Daniel Radcliffe starred in a movie about Rockstar Games and the lawsuits surroundingGrand Theft Auto, and it has since fallen into obscurity, making it difficult to find. Rockstar Games has developed and published several successful titles, includingRed Dead Redemptionand theMax Paynegames. They also have more obscure titles to their name, likeRockstar Games Presents Table Tennis. However, nothing has brought the gaming giant more fame than theGrand Theft Autofranchise.
Grand Theft Autostarted in the late 1990s, featuring a top-down perspective that was eventually adapted into 3D open-world environments throughout numerous sequels. Fans have playedGTA 5for over a decade, with the franchise’s next installment,Grand Theft Auto 6, recently delayed into 2026. However, theGTAseries has fought many battles in its lifetime to get to where it is today. Some of those scuffles were in courtrooms, as concerned politicians and lawyers saw the games as a threat to morality and the rule of law, as told in the 2015 filmThe Gamechangers,starring Daniel Radcliffe.
Daniel Radcliffe Plays The President Of Rockstar Games InThe Gamechangers
The Gamechangersfollows severalGTAtitles' development, release, and legal fallout, starting in 2002 withthe release ofGrand Theft Auto: Vice City, a mere year afterGTA 3.The film follows Rockstar Games President Sam Houser, played by Radcliffe, when their top franchise took heavy legal fire.
The movie depicts a man who kills several police officers before being arrested, with the legal case catching the eye of Florida Attorney Jack Thompson (played by the late Bill Paxton). Thompson uses the man’s gaming habits, which include numerous hours sunk intoVice City, as fuel to start a fire under Rockstar. Thompson would argue that the game glamorized violence and may have led to the man’s violent outburst against the police. After gathering information from experts who studied violence and the human mind, he filed a lawsuit against bothRockstar and Take-Two Interactive, the publisher, seeking to gather financial restitution for the families of those involved in the shooting.
While the lawsuit was eventually thrown out, the case had a massive impact on Radcliffe’s Sam Houser, who was frustrated by their legal woes and felt Rockstar was being painted as a scapegoat for the failures of parents and courts. Houser would lash out, with his frustrations pouring into the job. He began overworking people while developing games he knew would fuel further potential scorn, withBullyandManhunt. However, it also gives audiences a glimpse into thedevelopment ofGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas, showing Houser and his team visiting neighborhoods to feature in the game, and meeting colorful locals who help inspire them.
The GamechangerssawGTA: San Andreashit store shelves, only for the infamous “Hot Coffee” scene to be uncovered by a modder, which saw the franchise face new levels of legal backlash. Thompson used it to kickstart his vitriolic campaign against Rockstar again, leading to Houser being forced to testify before the Federal Trade Commission. The movie also bizarrely shows the inspiration behindRockstar Presents Table Tennisthroughout the timeline, which gives audiences a unique view of the events surrounding theGrand Theft Autofranchise and its creators.
The Creators OfGrand Theft AutoWere Not Happy WithThe Gamechangers
The BBC was producingThe Gamechangers, which is meant to serve as a docudrama, telling a true story through dramatized events. Still, in 2015,Rockstar and Take-Two filed a lawsuit against them. Rockstar claimed trademark infringement, telling the courts they had no involvement in the film’s production and that it grossly misrepresented the facts. Their lawsuit (viaIGN) stated:
“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.”
The Gamechangerswas ultimately released despite the attempts at legal injunctions, with the BBC noting it was an unauthorized depiction.Rockstar Games distanced itselffrom the movie, even calling it"random, made up b****cks"on Twitter (viaIGN). However,The Gamechangerswasn’t a standard theatrical release, airing on the BBC as a TV movie.
The GamechangersIs Available To Stream (Sort Of)
A decade after the release ofThe Gamechangers, the movie has become exceedingly difficult to find for those looking to watch it. This may be due to its middling reception, with many critics stating it barely scratches the surface of the saga lying within Rockstar Games and theGrand Theft Autofranchise. However, the film’s defenders appreciate the look behind the curtain that the film gives viewers, allowing them to see the actual struggles behind legal battles they may have only read about.
The Gamechangersis easily watchable if you live in the United Kingdomand is readily available onstreaming services like Netflix. This is likely due to it being a British production by the BBC, yet never making a significant impact in the United States despite starringHarry Potter’sRadcliffe. However, it can be viewed through the Internet Archive for American audiences who may feel inclined to track it down. WhileThe Gamechangersmay be largely unavailable in the United States, it marks an interesting moment for Radcliffe’s career and for video game-inspired films, presenting a unique glimpse atGrand Theft Autoand the industry that audiences may want to check out.
