Former Rockstar Games co-founder and Grand Theft Auto series co-creator Dan Houser and his wife Krystyna Jakubiak have reportedly purchased their third Los Angeles-area home, a newly constructed six-bedroom mansion in Pacific Palisades, California for $8.5 million.
Mansion tax timeline may have influenced sale
The home, which features eight bathrooms, a movie theatre, temperature-controlled wine room and balcony off the main suite, may have been sold due to the recent “mansion tax” that was implemented on April 1.
The tax requires a 5.5% charge on homes sold for more than $10 million, adding extra motivation for sellers to close sales before the tax went into effect. Consequently, the seller may have saved hundreds of thousands in taxes with the sale to Houser and Jakubiak before April 1.
Multiple property investments in US
This recent purchase marks Houser and Jakubiak’s fourth real estate investment in the United States. The couple reportedly paid $12.5 million for an expansive Brooklyn Heights estate, formerly owned by Truman Capote, and $31 million for a Pacific Palisades manor in October of 2021.
The couple also has a home in Santa Monica, California.
Real estate investments despite Houser’s departure from Rockstar Games
Houser left Rockstar Games, the game development studio behind popular titles such as Grand Theft Auto, in 2020. Since then, he reportedly operates Absurd Ventures in Games, a company he founded sometime after leaving Rockstar.
Despite his departure, Houser and his wife have continued to make significant real estate investments in the United States, with over $50 million invested in the past year alone.
Rockstar’s future plans
Meanwhile, Rockstar Games is currently working on the next Grand Theft Auto installment–dubbed Grand Theft Auto 6. However, the company has yet to officially announce the game, despite leaked gameplay footage and images that surfaced in 2022.
It is currently unclear when Rockstar Games will officially unveil Grand Theft Auto 6, or what role, if any, Houser will play in its development.
