He left due to disagreements with his brother about the direction of the company, according to two former developers. If it had been related to anti-union activities or working conditions, he would have left back in 2018.
Houser's departure was announced in February 2020, a couple of years after the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. He worked on major Rockstar projects, including Grand Theft Auto III. He recently stated that he doesn't have much to do with writing the script for GTA VI.
In November 2025, Rockstar found itself at the center of a scandal: the studio fired 34 employees. This sparked criticism from employees and protests from the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB), demanding greater accountability from management.