Leslie Benzies, president of Rockstar North, has left the company.

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According to a report by Kotaku , Benzies, who has been on sabbatical since after the launch of Grand Theft Auto Rockstar confirmed Benzies' departure in a statement, saying "Leslie Benzies went on sabbatical on September 1, 2014 and has decided not to return to work for the company."Benzies was the producer of the Grand Theft Auto series since its 3-D roots with Grand Theft Auto III. Additionally, Benzies had a hand in producing other Rockstar games such as Manhunt 2, Red Dead Redemption, and L.A. Noire."We are very grateful for Leslie's contributions to Rockstar over the last 15 years," Rockstar said.Rockstar also said Benzies "will always be a friend to the company and of course we are going to miss him," and it wishes him "the absolute best" going forward.As of last August, Grand Theft Auto 5 had sold 54 million copies , and the entire Grand Theft Auto franchise has sold 220 million units since its inception.

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