When asked if the studio understood that the project would become a hit, he replied:
"It was a turning point for both the team and the company. Take-Two was delisted from the stock exchange in August or September 2001. It was going under. There wasn't enough money even to release a sufficient print run. We didn't have time to print copies, and the game kept selling. First in the fall, then at Christmas, then in the New Year. We were waiting for it to stop. But sales didn't stop."
To understand the scale of the situation, it is worth recalling the history of Take-Two. The company, founded by Ryan Ashley Brant in the 90s, started with FMV games like Hell: A Cyberpunk Thriller. The first projects were editions of GameTek and Acclaim games, and then Take-Two released Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy for N64. Despite modest beginnings, Brant was able to buy DMA Design and the rights to Grand Theft Auto from BMG Interactive.
But in 2001, Take-Two found itself in crisis. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission accused it of accounting fraud. Then-Vice President Robert Blau organized a fictitious shipment of 230,000 copies of games for $5.4 million, later fully returned. As a result, the SEC fined the company $7.5 million, and Brant stepped down as CEO in 2001, finally leaving the company after the verdict in 2005.
Despite the scandal, his role in the formation of Rockstar and Take-Two remained significant. In 2019, Brant died of cardiac arrest at the age of 49.