Agent (video game)

Agent was to be set during the Cold War in the late 1970s. According to a press release, the game was planned to "take players into the world of counter-intelligence, espionage and political assassinations".{{cite web |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20090602006559/en/Rockstar-Games-Announces-Agent-Exclusively-PLAYSTATION%C2%AE3-System |title=Rockstar Games Announces Agent Exclusively for PLAYSTATION®3 System |website=Business Wire |date=2 June 2009 |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125115507/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20090602006559/en/Rockstar-Games-Announces-Agent-Exclusively-PLAYSTATION%C2%AE3-System |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/06/02/rockstars-agent-announced-for-ps3 |title=Rockstar's 'Agent' Announced For PS3 |first=Jim |last=Reilly |date=2 June 2009 |website=IGN |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125030921/https://www.ign.com/articles/2009/06/02/rockstars-agent-announced-for-ps3 |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live }}

In July 2007, at E3 2007, Sony Computer Entertainment announced that Rockstar Games was working on a new franchise for the PlayStation 3. Michael Shorrock, Sony Computer Entertainment America's director of third-party relations, wrote on the official U.S. PlayStation Blog: "As part of our long standing relationship with Rockstar, and the incredible success for both companies with the cultural icon that is Grand Theft Auto we've agreed to the PlayStation exclusive rights of the next great franchise from the Rockstar studios." Nothing more was revealed about the new franchise except the clarification that it would not be L.A. Noire. According to Shorrock, "Rockstar really wanted to make a game that you can truly only do on PS3" and added that the reason Sony locked the intellectual property down as an exclusive deal was because Sony believed the franchise would "set the bar for the rest of the industry".{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps3-exclusive-rockstar-franchise/1100-6175813/ |title=Sony announces PS3-exclusive Rockstar franchise |last=Boyes |first=Emma |date=30 July 2007 |website=GameSpot |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006101434/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/sony-announces-ps3-exclusive-rockstar-franchise/1100-6175813/ |archive-date=6 October 2017 |url-status=live }} Ben Feder, the then-president of Take-Two Interactive (Rockstar's parent company), said that the game would be "genre-defining" and "a whole new way of experiencing videogames that we haven't really seen before".{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/e3-rockstars-agent-is-genre-defining |title=E3: Rockstar's Agent is "genre-defining" |first=Robert |last=Purchese |date=6 April 2009 |website=Eurogamer |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411165125/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/e3-rockstars-agent-is-genre-defining |archive-date=11 April 2019 |url-status=live }}

Details of the project, including its title, were not announced until June 2009, when an announcement was made during the Sony press conference at the E3 2009. Sam Houser, one of the founders of Rockstar Games, described Agent as a game the company wanted to make for some time, and had set out to create a unique experience for the player.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rockstar-details-agent/1100-6211142/ |title=Rockstar details Agent |first=Alex |last=Sasson Coby |website=GameSpot |date=3 June 2009 |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006101226/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rockstar-details-agent/1100-6211142/ |archive-date=6 October 2017 |url-status=live }} Feder professed his belief that the game could achieve the same level of success as the Grand Theft Auto series and become "yet another great Rockstar North franchise title", given that its development was being overseen by Rockstar Games co-founders Sam and Dan Houser.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/take-two-grooming-agent-to-be-the-next-gta/1100-6211640/ |title=Take-Two grooming Agent to be the next GTA |first=Tor |last=Thorsen |date=5 June 2009 |website=GameSpot |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111001143216/http://e3.gamespot.com/story/6211640/take-two-grooming-agent-to-be-the-next-gta |archive-date=1 October 2011 |url-status=live }} Speaking with GameSpot on the E3 2009 show floor, Feder explained the decision to develop the game solely for Sony's console as stemming from the increased support from Sony as an exclusive title rather than developing the game across platforms.

On 7 September 2009, in a Question and Answer section on their blog, Rockstar Games stated that Agent could be released as early as 2010,{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/rockstar-agent-is-a-2010-title |title=Rockstar's Agent due out in 2010 |first=Robert |last=Purchese |date=7 September 2009 |website=Eurogamer |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125030838/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/rockstar-agent-is-a-2010-title |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live }} though Take-Two Interactive did not comment on the subject until March 2010, when it confirmed that Agent was still in development.{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/rockstars-agent-still-in-development |title=Rockstar's Agent "still in development" |first=Tom |last=Bramwell |date=3 March 2010 |website=Eurogamer |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125032357/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/rockstars-agent-still-in-development |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live }} On 9 June 2010, Take-Two Interactive confirmed that Agent was still planned as a PS3-exclusive title.{{cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/250223/agent-still-ps3-exclusive-confirms-take-two/ |title=PS3 News: Agent still PS3 exclusive, confirms Take-Two |date=9 June 2010 |website=Computer and Video Games |access-date=6 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205094527/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/250223/agent-still-ps3-exclusive-confirms-take-two/ |archive-date=5 December 2014 |url-status=dead }} On 24 May 2011, after nearly two years since Agent was announced at E3 2009, Take-Two Interactive confirmed the title was still in active development, even though it had never been seen by the public up to that time.{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/05/24/agent-for-ps3-still-in-development |title=Agent for PS3 Still in Development |first=Jim |last=Reilly |date=24 May 2011 |website=IGN |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125030820/https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/05/24/agent-for-ps3-still-in-development |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live }} However, Sony Computer Entertainment America's chief executive officer (CEO), Jack Tretton, said at E3 2011 that he was unsure over Agent{{'s}} PlayStation 3 exclusivity and that it was a decision for Rockstar Games to make.{{cite web |url=https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2011/06/08/agent-may-no-longer-be-a-ps3-exclusive/ |title=Agent May No Longer Be a PS3 Exclusive |first=Sebastian |last=Moss |date=8 June 2011 |website=PlayStation LifeStyle |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125030719/https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2011/06/08/agent-may-no-longer-be-a-ps3-exclusive/ |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live }}

On 15 August 2011, Leigh Donoghue, a former Rockstar North environmental artist, who had worked on Grand Theft Auto IV and Agent, posted the first images of Agent on his online resume. The shots show a character as well as various indoor environments from the game. Both of the images mention that they were made in 2009.{{cite web |url=https://www.vg247.com/2011/08/15/environment-artists-profile-reveals-first-agent-screenshots/ |title=Environment Artist's profile reveal first Agent screenshots |first=Debabrata |last=Nath |date=15 August 2011 |website=VG247 |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110010549/https://www.vg247.com/2011/08/15/environment-artists-profile-reveals-first-agent-screenshots/ |archive-date=10 November 2017 |url-status=live }} On 1 August 2012, when asked about Agent at Take-Two Interactive's financial report for the first quarter of 2013, chairman and CEO Strauss Zelnick said "we haven't announced anything about that title".{{cite web |url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/360963/no-sign-of-progress-for-ps3-exclusive-agent/ |title=PS3 News: No sign of progress for PS3 exclusive Agent |first=Rob |last=Crossley |date=1 August 2012 |website=Computer and Video Games |access-date=2 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204203155/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/360963/no-sign-of-progress-for-ps3-exclusive-agent/ |archive-date=4 December 2014 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=https://www.warpzoned.com/2012/08/rockstars-agent-take-two-ceo-has-nothing-to-announce/ |title=Rockstar's Agent still in development; Take-Two CEO has nothing to announce |first=John |last=Scalzo |date=23 August 2011 |website=Warp Zoned |access-date=9 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002031331/http://www.warpzoned.com/2012/08/rockstars-agent-take-two-ceo-has-nothing-to-announce/ |archive-date=2 October 2019 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2012/07/31/take-two-gives-agent-non-comment-we-havent-announced-anything-about-that-title/ |title=Take-Two Gives Agent Non-Comment: "We Haven't Announced Anything About That Title" |first=Sebastian |last=Moss |date=31 July 2012 |website=PlayStation LifeStyle |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125030729/https://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2012/07/31/take-two-gives-agent-non-comment-we-havent-announced-anything-about-that-title/ |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live }}

With the announcement of the PlayStation 4 on 20 February 2013, there was an expectation that Agent may have moved to become a PlayStation 4-exclusive title.{{cite web |url=https://attackofthefanboy.com/news/gta-sink-agent-ps3/ |title=Take Two dodges Agent on PS3 |first=Al |last=McCarthy |date=3 August 2012 |website=Attack of the Fanboy |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125073839/https://attackofthefanboy.com/news/gta-sink-agent-ps3/ |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live }} However, there was no mention of the game at the launch, while developer Rockstar North had signed up to support the PlayStation 4.{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-21-every-playstation-4-game-every-developer-announced-so-far |title=Every PlayStation 4 game, every developer announced so far |first=Tom |last=Phillips |date=6 June 2012 |website=Eurogamer |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125073920/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-02-21-every-playstation-4-game-every-developer-announced-so-far |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live }} When asked whether Agent was still a PlayStation 3 title during a roundtable media session that followed the press conference for the PlayStation 4's reveal, Sony Worldwide Studios boss Shuhei Yoshida said: "You are asking the wrong person. I have some knowledge, but I'm not in a position to talk about it."{{cite web |url=https://www.vg247.com/2013/02/22/the-last-guardian-agent-and-final-fantasy-versus-13-still-awol/ |title=The Last Guardian, Agent, and Final Fantasy Versus 13 still AWOL |first=Brenna |last=Hillier |date=22 February 2013 |website=VG247 |access-date=30 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170828234929/https://www.vg247.com/2013/02/22/the-last-guardian-agent-and-final-fantasy-versus-13-still-awol/ |archive-date=28 August 2017 |url-status=live }}

In July 2013, Take-Two Interactive renewed its trademarks for the "Agent" name.{{cite web |url=https://www.siliconera.com/rockstars-agent-might-not-be-dead-take-two-interactive-files-new-trademarks/ |title=Rockstar's Agent Might Not Be Dead, Take-Two Interactive Files New Trademarks |date=23 July 2013 |website=Siliconera |access-date=9 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209162023/https://www.siliconera.com/rockstars-agent-might-not-be-dead-take-two-interactive-files-new-trademarks/ |archive-date=9 December 2019 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-23-rockstar-renews-trademark-for-mia-ps3-exclusive-agent |title=Rockstar renews trademark for MIA PS3-exclusive Agent |first=Tom |last=Phillips |date=23 July 2013 |website=Eurogamer |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816125845/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013-07-23-rockstar-renews-trademark-for-mia-ps3-exclusive-agent |archive-date=16 August 2018 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/rockstar-and-take-two-file-trademark-for-judas-check-your-back-for-knives/ |title=Rockstar and Take-Two file trademark for "Judas," check your back for knives |first=Sam |last=Prell |date=29 April 2016 |website=GamesRadar+ |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125030844/https://www.gamesradar.com/rockstar-and-take-two-file-trademark-for-judas-check-your-back-for-knives/ |archive-date=25 November 2018 |url-status=live }} In December 2015, a few new screenshots from between 2009 and 2010 were leaked by former Rockstar North artist Darren Charles Hatton on his online portfolio.{{cite web |url=https://metro.co.uk/2015/12/22/new-screens-from-rockstars-agent-leak-and-they-still-dont-tell-you-anything-5580413/ |title=New screens from Rockstar's Agent leak (and they still don't tell you anything) |date=22 December 2015 |website=Metro |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816125812/https://metro.co.uk/2015/12/22/new-screens-from-rockstars-agent-leak-and-they-still-dont-tell-you-anything-5580413/ |archive-date=16 August 2018 |url-status=live }} The artist said that the art team was taken off the Agent project and reassigned to Grand Theft Auto V, adding that he was "not sure if this project will ever be published".{{cite web |url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-12-22-leaked-images-of-rockstars-spy-game-agent-appear |title=Leaked images of Rockstar's spy game Agent appear |first=Robert |last=Purchese |date=22 December 2015 |website=Eurogamer |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180816125828/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2015-12-22-leaked-images-of-rockstars-spy-game-agent-appear |archive-date=16 August 2018 |url-status=live }} On 5 December 2016, Take-Two Interactive again renewed the "Agent" trademark.{{cite web |url=https://gamerant.com/agent-rockstar-take-two-trademark/ |title=Rockstar Games Parent Company Refiles 'Agent' Trademark |website=Game Rant |date=14 December 2016 |access-date=27 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161228124347/https://gamerant.com/agent-rockstar-take-two-trademark/ |archive-date=28 December 2016 |url-status=live }} On 27 August 2017, images of concept art were allegedly leaked online, including depictions of a snowy alpine setting and apparent character sketches.{{cite web |url=https://www.vg247.com/2017/08/28/new-agent-and-bully-2-alleged-concept-art-leaks-online/ |title=New Agent and Bully 2 alleged concept art leaks online |first=Sherif |last=Saed |date=28 August 2017 |website=VG247 |access-date=30 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830154516/https://www.vg247.com/2017/08/28/new-agent-and-bully-2-alleged-concept-art-leaks-online/ |archive-date=30 August 2017 |url-status=live }} On 19 November 2018, the United States Patent and Trademark Office declared the "Agent" trademark as abandoned.{{cite web |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/take-two-appears-to-have-abandoned-agent-trademark/1100-6463424/ |title=Take-Two Appears To Have Abandoned Agent Trademark |first=Steve |last=Watts |date=24 November 2018 |website=GameSpot |access-date=24 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181123193946/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/take-two-appears-to-have-abandoned-agent-trademark/1100-6463424/ |archive-date=23 November 2018 |url-status=live }} As of October 2021, the official website for Agent redirects to Rockstar Games's official website and the game is no longer listed on Rockstar's games page.{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/rockstar-agent-website-disappears-no-trademark |title=Rockstar's Official Agent Website Disappears |last=Kim |first=Matt |work=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=October 5, 2021 |accessdate=October 5, 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211006005036/https://www.ign.com/articles/rockstar-agent-website-disappears-no-trademark |archivedate=October 6, 2021 |url-status=live }}

According to Obbe Vermeij, former technical director at Rockstar North, the studio was initially split between developing Grand Theft Auto and Agent, and the pressure to complete Grand Theft Auto V led Agent{{'}}s team to be reassigned.{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/ex-rockstar-dev-sheds-light-on-long-lost-game-agents-development-troubles | title = Ex-Rockstar Dev Sheds Light on Long Lost Game Agent's Development Troubles | first = Ryan | last = Dinsdale | date = November 22, 2023 | accessdate = November 22, 2023 | work = IGN }}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://www.rockstargames.com/agent/}}

{{Rockstar Games}}

{{Take-Two Interactive}}

Category:Action games

Category:Cold War video games

Category:Cancelled PlayStation 3 games

Category:Rockstar Games games

Category:Spy video games

Category:Stealth video games

Category:Take-Two Interactive games

Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom

Category:Video games set in the 1970s