From R* to Rockstar: The transformation of the Rockstar Games logo
Most gaming fans will be familiar with the Rockstar Games logo. One of the most eye-catching and vibrant emblems in the entertainment landscape, the Rockstar logo has become an icon of video game culture in recent years. But how much do you know about Rockstar logo history?
Rockstar Games stands as one of the better-known game publishers in the landscape today. Responsible for popular franchise titles such as Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar has captured the love and loyalty of consumers across the globe.
Unlike many famous gaming brands, Rockstar has only made a few changes to its logo over the past few decades. However, it’s worth looking back at the organization’s visual identity over the years for an insight into the brand’s evolution.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Rockstar Games logo and its compelling transformation.
Does Rockstar own GTA? Who is Rockstar Games owned by?
Rockstar Games Inc is a video games publisher from America, based currently in New York City. Initially, the brand was established in 1998 as a subsidiary of the “Take-Two Interactive” brand. Take-Two is still the parent company of Rockstar to this day.
Produced by a series of 5 founders, including Gary Foreman, Sam Houser, Terry Donovan, Dan Houser, and Jamie King, Rockstar Games was formed from the prior company, BMG Interactive.
In 1998, Take-Two Interactive announced it would be purchasing the assets of the dormant video games publisher, BMG Interactive, from the BMG Entertainment brand.
Through this interactive, Take-Two also obtained various former intellectual properties owned by MBG, such as Grand Theft Auto, Space Station Silicon Valley, and more.
Over the years, Rockstar Games has continued to operate under its own branding as a sub-brand of the Take-Two Interactive company. The brand’s best-known games include Grand Theft Auto Max Payne, Man Hunt, Bully, and Red Dead Redemption.
Grand Theft Auto is the biggest franchise owned by Rockstar Games to date. In fact, the most recent version of the Grand Theft Auto Series (Number 5) sold more than 170 million copies, making it the second best-selling video game in history.
Who is CEO of Rockstar?
The current CEO of Rockstar Games is Strauss Zelnick. However, one of the company’s original founders, Sam Houser, continues to operate as president of the brand, with the assistance of Jennifer Kolbe as Vice President.
Who is Rockstar Games owned by?
As mentioned above, Rockstar Games was formed by Take-Two Interactive following the acquisition of BMG Interactive and its intellectual properties. Take-Two Interactive still operates as Rockstar Games’ parent brand today. However, Rockstar maintains its own branding and visual identity.
Rockstar logo history: The evolution of the emblem
Despite having spent several years in the gaming landscape, Rockstar Games hasn’t made very many changes to its visual identity.
In fact, the official Rockstar logo today is still the one that was originally produced for the new brand when BMG Interactive was purchased by Take-Two Interactive.
However, we can look a little further back through the Rockstar logo history to examine the transition from its previous name to the current “Rockstar” moniker.
1994
Rockstar logo history officially began with BMG Interactive, a subsidiary of BMG Entertainment, which existed between the years 1994 and 1998. When it was purchased by Take-Two Interactive, BMG was already a relatively quiet company, not producing any video games or software.
The BMG Interactive logo was a simple combination mark. The words in the brand’s name were displayed on two levels and separated by a simple black line. “BMG” appeared in short, serif letters, in black, while “Interactive” was presented in smaller, sans-serif letters.
Perhaps the most eye-catching aspect of the logo was the inclusion of a burgundy/red triangle which pointed down into the central component of the letter “M.”
1998
When Rockstar Games was officially created, building on the Intellectual Properties and software created by BMG Interactive, the first and only Rockstar logo was introduced. This emblem has remained consistent throughout the company’s lifespan, highlighting its excellent longevity.
The design is a world apart from the one we see for BMG Interactive. The simplistic logo presents a large letter “R” in a stylized sans-serif font on a yellow/orange square background. The edges of the square have been rounded to create a more approachable, friendly image.
At the tip of the right-hand line of the “R,” we see a white, five-pointed star.
The overall color palette of yellow/orange, white, and black symbolizes the energy and dynamism of the brand. It highlights the company as creative, progressive, and playful. Yellow is a color of friendship, joy, and communication.
The shades of black and white add a sense of professionalism, sophistication, and stability to the design.
The Rockstar Games logo: Fonts and colors
The Rockstar logo is an insight into how enduring and sustainable the right logo can be in almost any industry. Thanks to its eye-catching nature and its simplicity, the Rockstar logo has been able to evolve effectively with the brand.
It’s suitable for use among a range of platforms and even lends itself well to smaller screens and app designs.
Instantly recognizable and modern, the playful and colorful logo highlights the unique personality of the brand and separates it from a host of other video game vendors. Colors like yellow and orange are less common in the gaming world than alternatives such as red, black, and blue.
Today, the compelling Rockstar Games logo provides the company with a fun and engaging way to connect with its target audience, wherever they are. The use of the “R” and the star design means the company doesn’t even need to spell out its entire name to be identified.
You can take a closer look at the Rockstar logo in all of its glory with the resources below:
What color is the Rockstar logo?
The official Rockstar logo colors are part of what makes the gaming company so easily identifiable and unique. Rockstar uses an orange/yellow shade as its core logo color, accompanied by elements of white and black.
The Rockstar logo color symbolizes some of the key personality traits of the brand, from its playful and creative nature to its focus on fun and joy.
Notably, variations of the Rockstar logo have been created in various marketing campaigns and regions around the world, with different color palettes. There are emblems available in colors ranging from green and purple to blue and red.
However, the yellow/orange color is still the official brand shade. The hex color for the orange shade is #ffa500.
What font does the Rockstar logo use?
Although the Rockstar Games logo doesn’t include a full wordmark, it does have some font worth looking at in the form of the stylized “R.” This unique R character has been created in a typeface similar to that of Helvetica Neue.
Notably, however, it does include the star emblem attached to one point in the letter, which is unique to the brand.
The powerful Rockstar logo
While there may not be much Rockstar logo history, the company still has a powerful and engaging visual identity.
Thanks to a simplistic but effective design, Rockstar has been able to maintain a relatively consistent brand identity over several years, making virtually no changes to its presence or emblem.
Today, the Rockstar logo is an eye-catching, compelling, and engaging emblem that works well across various landscapes. It’s an excellent example of how a versatile logo can evolve with a brand and help any company to connect with its target audience.
Fabrik: A branding agency for our times.
As Fabrik’s creative director, Stephen oversees complex branding programmes. He advises our clients on their tone of voice, creates logos and visual identities and crafts names for companies, products and services. Writing for Brand Fabrik Stephen reflects his love for logo design and visual identity.
