Ex-GTA writer Lazlow Jones reveals he got a call from real-life Epsilon cultist: Report
Renowned ex-GTA writer Lazlow Jones has revealed an interesting detail about a phone call with a real-life Epsilon cultist. The former co-chair of Rockstar Games' Production Department recently granted IGN an exclusive interview, where he talked about quitting Rockstar Games after nearly two decades of being a driving force behind the company. Jones also spoke about the new gaming studio where he now works, Absurd Ventures.
Lazlow Jones worked at Rockstar Games for around 20 years and was involved with writing, producing, and doing voice work for almost every GTA game to date. The radio station in every major Grand Theft Auto title is his work, and he even appeared as himself in Grand Theft Auto 5 and its multiplayer mode, after being an in-game character on the radio.
With that being said, here's what Lazlow Jones said about his phone call with the real-life Epsilon cultist.
Former GTA writer Lazlow Jones had a phone call with Epsilon cultist
In the interview on August 1, 2024, former GTA writer Lazlow Jones discussed an odd phone call. He claims to have received a voicemail on his work phone from a fan when Grand Theft Auto 5 was in production. As Lazlow answered it, he was greeted by a lady identifying herself as the representative of the Epsilon Program's followers.
This lady and the followers were apparently GTA fans who had played every game in the series in search of fresh knowledge about The Epsilon Program and were "dying to know more" about it. Lazlow believed that these people were indeed Epsilon Cultists and followed this fake religion, which was made for the Grand Theft Auto series, and said:
"She was essentially saying that they were worshipers of this fake religion that we had come up with."
Jones further added:
"She genuinely sounded like she was a follower of the Epsilon Program. It’s crazy when you make a satire of something… because we were very straightforward about it. We created a website for the Epsilon Program back in 2004, and all the copy on that. It’s in my mind very clear that it’s a money-grab, modern-day fictional religion. But they sounded like proper followers of it. It excited me and scared me to death simultaneously."
However, instead of backing out, Lazlow explained how this encounter with the real-life Epsilon cultist prompted Rockstar to focus more on this parody of Scientology. There are several missions in GTA 5 involving this cult, and we get more insight into their workings. The game even has a Bible for this scam religion called The Epsilon Tract, which is spread out across the map as collectibles.