Rockstar was from UK? I thought the first GTA was developed by Rockstar Canada? And its former self BMG Interactive Entertainment was part of the German arm of Bertelsmann AG.
I dont see how UK Government and public money has anything to do with all this, care to explain in more details?
Rockstar is the studio formerly known as DMA Designs. DMA Designs is/was a british studio. DMA later changed their name to Rockstar. At one point yes, a subsidiary of Rockstar created GTA.
Rockstar was later purchased by Take-Two. This was during the era publishers often strong armed their developers into acquisitions so no doubt there was some bullying involved. Take-Two receives a large portion of the major UK games development subsidy pot[1].
Take-Two has now, as per this article, buying yet another UK devloper/publisher. The UK games industry is getting hollowed out. All while the UK public is subsidizing the very companies performing the surgery.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/games/2019/oct/02/revealed-globa...
Notice how the site claims cultural "British-ness" to be a requirement. Yet in reality GTA V passed this apparently low barrier.
More likely the British-ness requirement is nothing more than a fig-leaf to appease the European Commission.
Rockstar North are the main developer of the mainline GTA games, and they get subsidised because of that, because it's made in Britain and is recognised as "culturally British". Which, it sort of is, everyone knows GTA is made in Scotland.