Rockstar changed Grand Theft Auto III’s planned North American box art overnight after the September 11, 2001 attacks, according to former Rockstar executive Dan Houser. The original, action-heavy illustration remained on European packaging; the replacement was the now-familiar mosaic of small images. Houser said the change reflected what felt appropriate at the time, rather than a general redesign of the game’s identity.
What changed on GTA III’s box?
The planned cover was an illustrated, old-movie-poster-style scene. Houser described a blown-up bridge, police firing into the air, helicopters and characters drawn at different sizes. He recalled that Rockstar felt the image was “a bit heavy” and did not “really gel” with the moment after 9/11. The artist produced a new design overnight, Houser said. The earlier illustration stayed on European packaging, while the replacement appeared on North American packaging. Houser’s recollection appears in excerpts of a 2011 IGN interview reproduced by GTA III News.
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| Cover | Artwork | Packaging context | Account of the change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earlier design | Illustrated, action-heavy composition in a movie-poster style | Used on European packaging, according to Houser and a later retrospective | Houser said Rockstar decided the image felt too heavy for the moment |
| Replacement design | Mosaic of small images; the later retrospective credits Stephen Bliss as its artist | Replaced the planned art for North American packaging | Houser said it was created in an evening in response to 9/11 |
GameSpot’s June 2026 retrospective also identifies Stephen Bliss as the artist of the mosaic design and says the earlier art remained in use for the European release. It describes the mosaic approach as a template for later series covers. That retrospective’s account is distinct from Houser’s firsthand explanation of why the redesign happened.
Why did Rockstar change the cover?
Houser said the studio judged the original image inappropriate in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. In his words, “What’s become the very staple of our marketing and presentation was done in an evening as a response to 9/11.” That is his recollection of the decision and its timing; it does not establish that every regional edition or later reprint used one of only these two designs.
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The context was unusually close to home for the New York-based team. Houser recalled that roadblocks kept Rockstar staff from entering the office for five days, delaying production work. He also described a small set of changes to the game itself: one mission was removed, a non-interactive jumbo jet’s flight path was adjusted so it would not appear to pass through a building, and some talk-radio lines were edited. He said the studio was near the events and believed it could make sensitive judgments about what was appropriate. Engadget’s October 2011 summary also recounts the office-access problem and the limited changes Houser described.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When did the redesign happen?
Grand Theft Auto III was originally released for PlayStation 2 in October 2001, according to Take-Two Interactive’s 2011 tenth-anniversary announcement. The company marked the anniversary on October 22, 2011. Houser’s account places the cover redesign after 9/11 and describes it as an overnight response; the available accounts do not give a more precise date for the artwork decision.
Rank #2
- ESRB Rating: Mature
- Genre: Action/Adventure
Take-Two’s announcement also reported a Metacritic score of 97 and called the game the highest-rated PlayStation 2 title at that time. That rating provides context for the game’s reception, not evidence for why its cover changed.
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Rank #3
- Awesome visuals and intense action
What the cover story does—and does not—establish
- Houser’s account is the basis for the explanation that the North American redesign was a response to 9/11 and was created overnight.
- The earlier illustrated cover was used for European packaging, according to Houser and GameSpot’s later retrospective.
- The mosaic cover became a staple of Rockstar’s marketing and presentation in Houser’s telling; GameSpot later describes it as an influence on subsequent series covers.
- The sources do not provide a complete inventory of every regional package, reprint or edition, so the two covers should not be treated as an exhaustive list of all GTA III packaging variants.
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