Earlier this week I spoke with a former Rockstar New York employee regarding the state of the company and what it was like to work there. In one statement, the source compared Rockstar New York to the "Eye of Sauron," a reference to a structure in "The Lord of the Rings" which would allow the Sauron, the series' antagonist, to spy on the goings-on of Middle-earth. In the case of Rockstar, the source was referring to the company's habit of suddenly focusing on a single project or studio after relatively minimal guidance for months on end. Not a terribly flattering comparison, but it seems Rockstar has seen fit to respond in a surprisingly light-hearted way.

The above image was taken from the official Rockstar Games site, which hosted it as a featured wallpaper for fans to download. The title of the image, "The Eye Is Watching," seems to be a pretty blatant wink and nod to the "Eye of Sauron" comparison, and knowing how hesitant the company normally is when commenting to the press, I wouldn't be surprised if that's all we got out of them on this story.

Given that the company's hit game series, "Grand Theft Auto," regularly lampoons every pop culture icon under the sun, it's good to see that they don't mind turning the satirical lens on themselves every once in a while.