Rockstar Games

Background
Rockstar Games is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Founding members of the company were Terry Donovan, Gary Foreman and Jamie King from Take-Two, and Dan and Sam Houser from BMG Interactive.

Since its founding, several companies acquired by or established under Take-Two have become part of Rockstar Games, all bearing the "Rockstar" name and logo. The most notable of these subsidiaries are Rockstar North (formerly DMA Design), Rockstar Leeds (formerly Möbius Entertainment), and Rockstar San Diego (formerly Angel Studios).

Rockstar Games' most successful game franchise is Grand Theft Auto, the most recent main entry of which (Grand Theft Auto V) has sold over 170 million copies since its release in September 2013. Other popular franchises published by Rockstar Games are Red Dead, Midnight Club, Max Payne and Manhunt.

1st Logo (April 30, 1999-February 1, 2000)
Logo: Several black-and-white shots of the Rockstar logo from different camera angles are shown, followed by the banner logo against a background  as it fades in. The whole screen then becomes static-shocked like a computer would do, changing to the same background with the words "ROCKSTAR GAMES" in the center.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: The sounds of camera shots and people chattering, followed by a high-pitched synth which sounds like a whistle or a sine tone, which is gated in timing with glitches.

Availability: Seen on GTA: London 1961/1969 and the Dreamcast version of Wild Metal Country. It also appeared on a promotional video for the Japanese release of Thrasher: Skate & Destroy (titled Thrasher SK8).

2nd Logo (Still variants) (July 30, 1999-January 17, 2010)
Logo: Just a still picture of the Rockstar Games logo. It depicts an rounded square with a black outline, which has the letter "R" inside it, with a white star connected to it.

Variants:
 * Earthworm Jim 3D for N64 (1999): An early-design yellow logo falls into the white screen. It looks like a rectangle with rounded edges and a prolonged outline with the name "ROCKSTAR" below.
 * Monster Trucks Madness for N64 (1999): The logo with an italicized name on a black background.
 * Max Payne for GBA (2001): The logo appears without any name below.
 * State of Emergency (2002): The logo with the name in italics zooms in and blurs.
 * GTA Advance for GBA (2004): A still Rockstar logo on a black background.
 * Beaterator (2009, trailer): The white outlined logo on a rainbow background.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on various games.

3rd Logo (October 1999)
Logo: On a background, we see a close-up of the left reel of a rolling tape player, with the black-and-white Rockstar logo in small printed on it. It cuts to a full view of the tape player, which sits on a table and is lighted by three lamps from above. It then cuts again to a close-up of the oscillator on the bottom of the tape player, from which the opening frame of the trailer zooms in.

Technique: Cel-shaded CGI animation. This was animated by Aaron Garbut (then lead artist at DMA Design, later art director on much of the Grand Theft Auto series).

Music/Sounds: A hum from the tape player with MacInTalk Zarvox (a novelty text-to-speech voice that came in MacInTalk) saying the company name and a quiet and short buzzer.

Availability: Seen on the trailer to Thrasher: Skate & Destroy.

4th Logo (October 22, 1999-July 28, 2000)
Logo: The Rockstar banner slides and stops in the center of the screen, then breaks off. At the same time, the background also breaks and reveals a gradient space. The remains of the logo vanish and the name "ROCKSTAR GAMES" appears in white. Police lights flash below, while the name experiences several distortions and color flips to black.

Technique: Simple CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: Sounds of sliding, glass breaking, then a police screamer.

Availability: Seen on GTA 2.

5th Logo (November 15, 1999)
Logo: Several small searchlights move on the screen, occasionally revealing the banner hanging on a  background. The banner appears in the circle of light. Then it vanishes and the gradient space appears, with the name "ROCKSTAR GAMES" wiped on the screen.

Technique: Simple 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: Sounds of fans screaming.

Availability: Seen on Thrasher: Skate and Destroy.

6th Logo (October 26, 2000-January 5, 2001)
Logo: A couple of power sticks on both sides of the screen start generating electricity bolts that connect together to form the shape of the R* logo. The entire thing flashes with electricity to reveal the Rockstar logo and the words "ROCKSTAR GAMES" below in a neon light style.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: The sounds of electricity, and power as the neon fades in.

Availability: Seen on Smuggler's Run, Surfing H3O and Midnight Club: Street Racing.

7th Logo (January 29-March 9, 2001)
Logo: We see the game's protagonist Konoko performing battle tricks on the camera, standing on the lighted olive-colored Rockstar banner. Then the banner comes into the screen, with the name written directly on it. The black and white picture looks relief.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A synth techno tune with the sounds of kicks.

Availability: Seen on the PS2 version of Oni.

8th Logo (October 23, 2001-January 2, 2004; December 15, 2011-June 14, 2012: November 11, 2021)
Logo: On a black background, we see a static grid flash in, which disappears after a couple of seconds. Followed by this, we see the words "RAM OK" type in on the top-right corner of the screen, shortly followed by the words "ROM OK" typing in beneath. Both pairs of words then disappear, then the Rockstar logo draws itself out in the same style as before, with the text "ROCKSTAR GAMES" typing in beneath the logo.

Variants:
 * There is an extended version of this logo, where the regular logo plays as normal, but once it's finished, the Rockstar logo zooms out and spins around for a few seconds before coming to a halt and forming the Rockstar North logo.
 * An enhanced version of this logo exists, which is based on the extended version of the logo.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: Electronic sounds.

Availability: Seen on Grand Theft Auto III, several releases of Max Payne, and the US releases of The Italian Job, Smuggler's Run: Warzones (2002) and Smuggler's Run: Hostile Territory (2001).
 * The extended version is seen on all but the original PS2 version of Grand Theft Auto III.
 * The enhanced version can be seen on Grand Theft Auto III: The Definitive Edition.

9th Logo (October 29, 2002-January 2, 2004; December 9, 2012; November 11, 2021)
Logo: We see a white background, with a white, textureless Rockstar logo. Some colors gradually fade in, filling the logo with an color (the R goes black, but the star is still white) Then, the words "Rockstar Games" write themselves below in stylish handwriting. The background then turns black, and the text goes white.

Variant: An enhanced version of this logo exists.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: A synth note, then some beach sounds, then a held bass note, followed by another synth note.

Availability: Seen on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The enhanced version can be seen on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City - The Definitive Edition.

10th Logo (April 9-July 11, 2003)
Logo: Against a black background, some bolts of fire form the Rockstar logo. The words "ROCKSTAR GAMES" are formed below in the same manner afterwards.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: The sounds of fire and a quiet deep synth note as the logo is fully formed.

Availability: Seen on Midnight Club II.

11th Logo (November 19, 2003-April 23, 2004)
Logo: Superimposed over the opening of the game, we see the Rockstar logo with white magnets below reading "ROCKSTAR GAMES PRESENTS". The logo "flickers" a few times, then fades out.

Technique: Various 2D and 3D effects.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the game, accompanied by static sounds.

Availability: Seen on Manhunt.

12th Logo (May 4, 2004)
Logo: On a wooden surface, a burned Rockstar logo fades in with the words "ROCKSTAR GAMES" below in a western-style font.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A sizzling sound.

Availability: Seen on Red Dead Revolver.

13th Logo (October 26, 2004-June 10, 2005; December 12, 2013-December 1, 2015; November 11, 2021)
Logo: On a black background, we see the Rockstar Games logo being spray-painted onto the screen, along with the words "rockstar games" (in the font for "San Andreas" in the game's logo) and a registered trademark appearing below.

Variant: An enhanced version of this logo exists, which adds the black outline to the star that was strangely absent in the original version (unlike for the Rockstar North logo).

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: The sound of a spray can's lid "popping" off, and a few "spray" sounds.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Introduction short film, a ding can be heard when the text appears.

Availability: Seen on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. The enhanced version of the logo can be seen on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - The Definitive Edition. It can be also seen on the aforementioned The Introduction short film.

14th Logo (April 11, 2005-March 17, 2006)
Logo: We see a white rolling rim, with the logo seen through it, then it drives away, leaving the Rockstar logo behind. The name is written in stencil style.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: Car engine sounds.

Availability: Seen on Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition.

15th Logo (October 17, 2005-February 23, 2007)
Logo: A baseball bat flashes through the screen, wiping in the Rockstar logo and the words "ROCKSTAR GAMES". Then another bat swirls from another side and changes it to the Rockstar Toronto logo.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: Bats wheezing accompanied by dark synth cues.

Availability: Seen on The Warriors.

16th Logo (October 25, 2005-June 26, 2006; December 17, 2015)
Logo: A couple of taxis come right, roaring in, seen through the logo-shaped hole. They leave the Rockstar logo behind with the words "ROCKSTAR GAMES" below.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: Car sounds.

Availability: Seen on Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories for PS2, PSP and iOS.

17th Logo (May 23, 2006-October 19, 2007)
Logo: A white table tennis ball falls and bounces on the floor, with the black logo carved on it. Then the white banner logo zooms to the screen without any name.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: The sounds of the ball.

Availability: Seen on Rockstar Games Presents: Table Tennis.

18th Logo (October 17, 2006-October 21, 2008)
Logo: On a black background, a baby blue colored sign with a skull pops up on the left side of the screen, and is knocked over by a baseball. An sign with a navy blue snake pops up on the right side, and is also knocked over by a baseball. Then, a version of the Rockstar logo pops up in the center, and two baseballs hit it, but nothing happens. Three more baseballs are thrown at the logo, which only makes the text "Serif" pop up. A brick is then thrown at the logo, making it flip over, turn into the familiar yellow color, and changing the text to "Serif".

Variant: On Bully: Scholarship Edition, when the first baseball is thrown at the Rockstar logo (which doesn't have a top shadow this time), that's when the "ROCKSTAR VANCOUVER" text pops up. When the second baseball hits the logo, it flips over an extra time, reverses its colors, and changes the text to "ROCKSTAR NEW ENGLAND", then the next three baseballs hit the logo. The regular Rockstar logo still comes up when the logo is hit by the brick.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: Just clicks when the signs pop up, and the sounds of metal denting when they get hit. A faint carnival theme is heard throughout.

Availability: Seen on Bully for PS2 and Bully: Scholarship Edition.

19th Logo (October 31, 2006-March 9, 2007)
Logo: The Rockstar Leeds logo is shown. Several stripes appear over it, eventually wiping it fully colored. The words "Rockstar Games" appear in the Vice City font below.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: Quiet marker sounds, along with part of the game's opening theme.

Availability: Seen on Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

20th Logo (October 29, 2007-November 6, 2009)
Logo: The Rockstar logo in black-and-white flashes in, then glitches to the Rockstar London, North, and Toronto logos. It then returns to the normal logo with the company name in Courier font below it.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: Beeps and static noises.

Availability: Seen on Manhunt 2.

21st Logo (April 29, 2008-April 16, 2010)
Logo: The Rockstar logo slowly zooms out and fades out.

Technique: Simple zooming effects.

Music/Sounds: The music used on the game's respective intro.

Availability: Seen on Grand Theft Auto IV and Episodes from Liberty City.

22nd Logo (October 20, 2008)
Logo: White stars move through the screen choppily, each followed with the normal Rockstar logo and the Rockstar San Diego logo. It then immediately fades to the title screen.

Variant: The "L.A. Remix" version of the game has the logo sequence in double speed, and starts with the Rockstar London logo, followed by the Rockstar San Diego logo and finally the normal logo, which stops in the middle of the screen.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: A short hip-hop cue repeated for each logo.

Availability: Seen on both Midnight Club: Los Angeles and Midnight Club: L.A Remix.

23rd Logo (September 29, 2009)
Logo: The Rockstar logo is formed through a music equalizer. Then the equalizer goes down, clearing the logo as the words "ROCKSTAR GAMES" fade in below.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: An echoed electronic disco tune.

Availability: Seen on Beaterator.

24th Logo (October 20, 2009)
Logo: The glowing nameless banner appears against a black background and a moving subway train within the logo goes by to reveal the Rockstar North logo.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: The sound of trains moving.

Availability: Seen on the PSP version of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

25th Logo (May 18, 2010)
Logo: A spinning coil of a bar machine appears and presents a yellow Rockstar logo without any name. The logo is shot and vanished in a small cloud of smoke.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: A western-oriented music with the sound of a spinning machine and shooting.

Availability: Seen on Red Dead Redemption.

26th Logo (May 17-November 11, 2011)
Logo: The Rockstar logo appears in grayscale, with an old grainy film effect, then becomes, but the grainy movie effects remain.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: Some orchestral noir music along with the sound of film playing.

Availability: Seen on L.A. Noire.

27th Logo (May 15, 2012)
Logo: The white Rockstar banner appears. Then shooting is heard and the banner fills almost fully with blood. After it, the blood level comes down. The logo flickers and vanishes in a white noise.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: The shooting and sounds of a medicine pill pickup.

Availability: Seen on Max Payne 3.

28th Logo (September 17, 2013-April 14, 2015)
Logo: A sound of a car broken into and driven away is heard as police sirens and gunfire follow, accompanied by blurry flashing siren lights and a series of wanted stars in the upper right corner (like the wanted system HUD in the Grand Theft Auto series) that fill up. Once the fifth star is full, it flashes into the middle forming the Rockstar logo on-screen, with the Rockstar North logo forming afterwards.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: The sounds of a car break-in, police sirens and gunshots.

Availability: Seen on Grand Theft Auto V.

29th Logo (October 26, 2018-November 5, 2019)
Logo: Smoke rises up. Two -colored cylinders, first left then right, fall from the top of the screen. The smoke fades away. A double-barreled gun is pointed at the screen, and it becomes evident that the cylinders are bronze bullets with smearing. The bullet shells read:


 * "ROCKSTAR GAMES" on the top
 * "20" on the left and right of the bullets, possibly making out "2020". The number "20" can also stand for Rockstar Games' 20th anniversary.
 * "EST. MCMXCVII" on the bottom. The Roman numeral MCMXCVIII is equivalent to the Arabic numeral 1998. This is the founding year of Rockstar Games.

The bullets fire. The Rockstar Games logo appears, colored in blood.

Technique: 2D animation, with some 3D effects.

Music/Sounds: The pistol loading, and then firing.

Availability: Seen on Red Dead Redemption 2.