Rockstar files suit against BBC over upcoming drama

Rockstar Games' parent company, Take-Two, is taking legal action against the BBC over the broadcaster's upcoming drama, Game Changer. The 90-minute film, announced in March, focuses on the making of GTA, and the controversy and moral panic that erupted around the series. In a statement to IGN, Rockstar said that it wants to protect its intellectual property, and ensure that trademarks aren't misused.

"Our goal is to ensure that our trademarks are not misused in the BBC's pursuit of an unofficial depiction of purported events related to Rockstar Games," said Rockstar. "We have attempted multiple times to resolve this matter with the BBC without any meaningful resolution. It is our obligation to protect our intellectual property and unfortunately in this case litigation was necessary."

Game Changer is based on the "narrative non-fiction" book Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. The book has been criticised due to author David Kushner's lack of access to key members of the story. The show is planned for broadcast later this year, and stars Daniel Radcliffe as Sam Houser and Bill Paxton as wild-eyed irritant Jack Thompson.

Phil has been writing for PC Gamer for nearly a decade, starting out as a freelance writer covering everything from free games to MMOs. He eventually joined full-time as a news writer, before moving to the magazine to review immersive sims, RPGs and Hitman games. Now he leads PC Gamer's UK team, but still sometimes finds the time to write about his ongoing obsessions with Destiny 2, GTA Online and Apex Legends. When he's not levelling up battle passes, he's checking out the latest tactics game or dipping back into Guild Wars 2. He's largely responsible for the whole Tub Geralt thing, but still isn't sorry.