It’s no industry secret that Sam Houser, the genius behind Grand Theft Auto, is a bit of a nut.  Besides, we like crazy people because they make the best games.

Houser isn’t making any excuses, bearing his soul (just part of it) in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

Most of the interview focuses on Houser’s quirky and volatile disposition.  He and his brother Dan Houser, Rockstar’s vice president of creativity, run their company with iron fists, their borderline OCD behavior often leading to insane work hours at the New York office accompanied by bouts of screaming and other seemingly incomprehensible behavior. 

Former employees have testified to the Houser brothers' unhinged tempers, one even claiming that Sam Houser once came in swinging a baseball bat.  The Housers deny all such claims, of course.

"What Rockstar does...is a very intense and creative-driven process," explains Gary Dale, chief operating officer of Take-Two who has long known the Housers. "At times there will be tension based on people discussing creative ideas."

Last year, after two Rockstar employees committed suicide (the two incidents were unrelated), Houser hired a spiritual healer to expel bad vibes from the office; he also brought in “traditional” grief counselors.

A variety of firearms are kept at headquarters, though all are allegedly just replicas, and a mix of bossa nova and hip-hop sets the working mood for about 120 employees at the Manhattan branch, mostly in their twenties and thirties.

Curiously enough, Houser considers himself a conservative man, with a wife and two young children -- all it takes is a parking ticket to make him freak.  I wonder if he exposes his kids to his work.

Not surprisingly, Houser strives for a realistic urban feel in his games.  There is a team of five at Rockstar dedicated to full-time study of street slang, architecture, and other elements that ensure the GTA games have an authentic taste.  While Grand Theft Auto IV was in production, Houser himself walked the city’s Russian districts as his research team grilled New York’s taxi and limousine commission for an accurate ratio of cabs to private vehicles.

Take-Two has actually become so dependent on the GTA franchise that Sam Houser now has an executive position with them as well.  This isn’t much a shock, considering the success GTA has garnered over the past few years.  And as we all know, EA has been wanting a piece of that pie.

EA CEO John Riccitiello expresses great respect and admiration for Houser and his amazing knowledge of music.  Whatever good times they shared, though, obviously didn’t help EA in its attempted hostile takeover of Rockstar.

Many think that EA wouldn’t be able to handle Rockstar.  As it stands, Take-Two gives the little firecracker studio free reign, covering their eyes while allowing Rockstar to go about business as usual.  A huge corporation like EA may not be as forgiving.

Houser says that should EA become the new boss, it’s unlikely that he’ll even bother seeking their approval for game content.  Still, he considers Riccitiello “the real deal” and sees some appeal in joining with the big guys.

He was actually turned down for a job at EA in the late 1990s.  Life’s little ironies really do hurt sometimes.

In a video on the Wall Street Journal site, Tom Weber, an editor for WSJ, expresses his views on GTA IV.  Keep in mind, the explanation he provides is likely meant for those not quite as familiar with Grand Theft Auto as we are.