Development

How the games were actually made. Race'n'Chase and the 22 March 1995 design document, the Dundee office above a former fish and chip shop, the shift to three dimensions, the engines, the motion capture and the open-world tooling. The origin story here is the attributable one: Gary Penn's line that nobody wants to be the cop, and a project that nearly died. The police-bug anecdote that circulates as the origin is fan-wiki folklore and is not captioned as fact.

Part of Grand Theft Auto

76 moments in this segment.

  1. - GRAND THEFT AUTO 1996 Making Of - GTA - | Retro Gaming | BBC Archive. BBC cameras visited DMA Design in Dundee while the first Grand Theft Auto was still in production, more than a year before it shipped. The studio had been founded by David Jones in 1988 and had made its name on Lemmings, not crime. This is the earliest broadcast record of the game's making that remains officially posted.
  2. - Grand Theft Auto (1997) 4k PC Gameplay - Bridge Jump, Running Over, Car Explodes. The 1997 original as it played: top-down, three cities, and already an open-world crime game four years before the series moved into three dimensions.
  3. - Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) 4k PC Gameplay - Kill Frenzy Electric Gun, Russian Shooting, Krishna Phone. The PC release of Grand Theft Auto 2 in 1999. After this game a satellite studio opened in Leith, Edinburgh, and Dundee operations closed in March 2000.
  4. - Grand Theft Auto 2 (1999) 4k PSX Gameplay - Opening Videos, Intro Film, Title Screen, Menu. The last 2D entry in the series and the last released under the DMA Design name, before the Edinburgh move and the Take-Two acquisition. It is set in an unnamed near-future city.
  5. - Commodore64. (1982). Post processing: BG, B/C, noise, dust, spot. The Kingsway Amateur Computer Club in Dundee, where DMA Design’s founding team met, was a home-computer club of this era.
  6. - Amiga 500, angled, Google NY office computer museum. DMA Design began on home computers of this class in Dundee in 1988, making Lemmings before it made Grand Theft Auto. Amiga 500, angled, Google NY office computer museum A small museum at the Google New York office, put together by Craig Nevill-Manning.
  7. - Amiga 500, front, Google NY office computer museum. DMA Design began on home computers of this class in Dundee in 1988, making Lemmings before it made Grand Theft Auto. Amiga 500, front, Google NY office computer museum A small museum at the Google New York office, put together by Craig Nevill-Manning.
  8. - Sega-dreamcast-set. An NTSC Sega Dreamcast Console and PAL Controller with VMU. DMA Design’s three-dimensional experiments, Body Harvest and Space Station Silicon Valley, were the technical bridge to GTA III on the hardware of this period.
  9. - Lemmings '88: A Video Documentary (PART 1). An early video documentary on Lemmings. The studio's first office opened in August 1989 above a former fish and chip shop, two years before the game shipped.
  10. - Xbox-360-Controller-Black. A black wireless Xbox 360 controller. GTA IV shipped in 2008 and GTA V in September 2013 on this generation. V was later reissued on PS4 and Xbox One in November 2014, Windows in April 2015, and PS5 and Xbox Series in March 2022. Its longevity across three console generations, not its launch, is what made the money.
  11. - GDC 11 - Game of the Year - Rockstar Interview. A Rockstar interview at the 2011 Game Developers Conference, two years before Grand Theft Auto V and in the middle of the studio's Red Dead period.
  12. - Dreamcast-Console-Set. The Sega Dreamcast, a video game console released on September 9th, 1999 in North America. The last console by Sega, the Dreamcast was well received at launch but many factors like Sega's financial troubles and the extreme popularity of Sony's PlayStation 2 led to the system being discontinued in early 2001.
  13. - IGN News - Grand Theft Auto V Gameplay Details Revealed. Early gameplay details for Grand Theft Auto V, reported in November 2012. Rockstar and Take-Two are the interested parties for every pre-release claim about their own games.
  14. - IGN News Grand Theft Auto V: Official Gameplay. Reporting on the announcement of official gameplay footage. The pattern of a controlled reveal followed by press analysis has held across every entry since.
  15. - IGN News - All-New Grand Theft Auto V Screenshots. Press coverage of newly released screenshots six months before launch. Rockstar controls the release of every image of an unshipped game, which shapes what can be known about it.
  16. - Grand Theft Auto V - Screenshot Analysis (March 2013). A screenshot analysis from March 2013. In the absence of access, close reading of published marketing material is the only technical evidence available before a Rockstar game ships.
  17. - Discussing What's New in the GTA V Gameplay Trailer - IGN Conversation. Press discussion of the first extended gameplay footage of Grand Theft Auto V, two months before release. The game had three protagonists, a first for the series.
  18. - Xbox-console. GTA IV shipped in 2008 and GTA V in September 2013 on this generation. V was later reissued on PS4 and Xbox One in November 2014, Windows in April 2015, and PS5 and Xbox Series in March 2022. Its longevity across three console generations, not its launch, is what made the money.
  19. - The History of Grand Theft Auto Documentary. A documentary history of the series through its first fifteen years, covering the move from Dundee to Edinburgh and from two dimensions to three.
  20. - GTA 3/Vice City PS4 vs PS2 Graphics Comparison/Analysis. A technical comparison of the PlayStation 2 originals against their later re-releases. Grand Theft Auto III sold 11.6 million on PS2 alone and 14.5 million in total by March 2008.
  21. - Behind the Scenes motion capture in GTA Vice City - Animations and Art sketches. Motion capture and concept art from Vice City, released 2002 and set in a Miami analogue in 1986. This is where the licensed-soundtrack radio format became the series' signature.
  22. - Microsoft-Xbox-360-Pro-Console-BR. The Xbox 360, a video game console made by Microsoft and released in 2005. This is the very first model, a launch-edition of the "Pro", which included a 20GB hard drive and a silver DVD drive bezel. GTA IV shipped in 2008 and GTA V in September 2013 on this generation. V was later reissued on PS4 and Xbox One in November 2014, Windows in April 2015, and PS5 and Xbox Series in March 2022. Its longevity across three console generations, not its launch, is what made the money.
  23. - Microsoft-Xbox-360-Pro-Console-FL. The Xbox 360, a video game console made by Microsoft and released in 2005. This is the very first model, a launch-edition of the "Pro", which included a 20GB hard drive and a silver DVD drive bezel. GTA IV shipped in 2008 and GTA V in September 2013 on this generation. V was later reissued on PS4 and Xbox One in November 2014, Windows in April 2015, and PS5 and Xbox Series in March 2022. Its longevity across three console generations, not its launch, is what made the money.
  24. - Sega-Dreamcast-Console-BL. The Sega Dreamcast, a video game console released on September 9th, 1999 in North America. The last console by Sega, the Dreamcast was well received at launch but many factors like Sega's financial troubles and the extreme popularity of Sony's PlayStation 2 led to the system being discontinued in early 2001.
  25. - Sega-Dreamcast-Mouse-BL. The official mouse for the Sega Dreamcast video game console, used mainly for web browsing. DMA Design’s three-dimensional experiments, Body Harvest and Space Station Silicon Valley, were the technical bridge to GTA III on the hardware of this period.
  26. - Sony PlayStation 2 console. Die Hinterseite auf ein Slimline-PlayStaion 2 (SCPH-70001 Modell). Von links nach rechts: Ethernet-Anschluss, TOSLINK Optischen-Audio-Anschluss (S/PDIF), AV-MULTI-OUT* und DC IN (Gleichstrom-Stromanschluss) (8,5 V, 5,2 A)*Proprietärer Anschluss, über den Stereoton, Kompositvideo, S-Video sowie entweder RGB (für SCART)...
  27. - Sony-PlayStation-3-2001A-wController-L. The Sony PlayStation 3 (PS3) video game console, shown with DualShock 3 controller. This is a seventh generation console first released in 2006 as the successor to the PlayStation 2.
  28. - Commodore-64-Computer-BL. A Commodore 64, an 8-bit home computer introduced in 1982 by Commodore International. Its low retail price and easy availability led to the system becoming the market leader for three years. It remains the best-selling single personal computer model of all time.
  29. - Commodore-64-Computer-BR. A Commodore 64, an 8-bit home computer introduced in 1982 by Commodore International. Its low retail price and easy availability led to the system becoming the market leader for three years. It remains the best-selling single personal computer model of all time.
  30. - Commodore-64-Computer-FL. A Commodore 64, an 8-bit home computer introduced in 1982 by Commodore International. Its low retail price and easy availability led to the system becoming the market leader for three years. It remains the best-selling single personal computer model of all time.
  31. - Red Dead Redemption 2 Trailer #3 Analysis! New RAGE Engine Tech Upgrades!. Analysis of engine upgrades visible in a Rockstar trailer. Working from published assets is the only rigorous approach available for unreleased Rockstar titles.
  32. - [4K] Red Dead Redemption 2: The Digital Foundry Tech Analysis!. A technical analysis of Red Dead Redemption 2, built on RAGE, the in-house engine that replaced RenderWare. The exact version history of RAGE across titles is not well documented publicly.
  33. - A Wild West Revival - Red Dead Redemption 2 Documentary. A documentary on Red Dead Redemption 2, released October 2018 on the RAGE engine. Its development is the subject of the crunch reporting that followed weeks later.
  34. - Grand Theft Auto III Retrospective. A long retrospective on Grand Theft Auto III, released 23 October 2001 for PlayStation 2. It reached 1.4 million copies by December 2001 and scored 97 on Metacritic.
  35. - Evolution of RenderWare Engine Games 1996-2018. The RenderWare engine across its full catalogue. Licensing middleware from Criterion Games rather than building in house is why three Grand Theft Auto games shipped in three years.
  36. - Classic Game Postmortem: Lemmings. An official conference postmortem of Lemmings. Its revenue bought DMA Design the independence in which Race'n'Chase, and then Grand Theft Auto, was developed.
  37. - Rockstar Advanced Game Engine. RAGE, the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, replaced RenderWare and moved the series onto in-house technology. Its exact first use and version history across titles is not well documented publicly.
  38. - 2019-08-04 Commodore Amiga personal computer. Commodore Amiga personal computer. DMA Design began on home computers of this class in Dundee in 1988, making Lemmings before it made Grand Theft Auto.
  39. - PlayStation 5 and DualSense (2). PlayStation 5 console set vertically with the stand and DualSense controller charging. GTA VI is announced for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S on 19 November 2026. No PC version has been announced or dated.
  40. - PlayStation 5 and DualSense. PlayStation 5 console set vertically with the stand and DualSense controller charging. GTA VI is announced for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S on 19 November 2026. No PC version has been announced or dated.
  41. - RenderWare: The Engine that Powered an Era | Retrohistories. RenderWare, made by Criterion Games, was licensed middleware rather than in-house technology. Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City and San Andreas all ran on it across three years, which is the technical explanation for a release pace no publisher has matched since.
  42. - Rockstar's History With Nintendo.... (The DMA Design Years - 1993 to 1995). DMA Design's Nintendo years in the mid 1990s, overlapping exactly with the period when the Race'n'Chase design document was written in March 1995.
  43. - Cool Facts & Behind the Scenes of Red Dead Redemption 2 | The Making of RDR2. Production detail on Red Dead Redemption 2. Dan Houser's remark about 100-hour weeks referred to work on this game, and was narrowed to four senior writers for about three weeks.
  44. - Commodore Amiga 500+. Picture of Commodore computer Amiga 500+. DMA Design began on home computers of this class in Dundee in 1988, making Lemmings before it made Grand Theft Auto.
  45. - GTA On Nintendo 64??? - Body Harvest Review. Body Harvest on the Nintendo 64 was one of DMA Design's two 3D experiments alongside Space Station Silicon Valley. Open-world design predates Grand Theft Auto III, including in DMA's own earlier work.
  46. - Grand Theft Auto III - The Best & Worst Game Ever Made. (20 Years Later). Grand Theft Auto III twenty years on. GamePro called it the most important video game of all time and the phrase GTA clone entered the vocabulary, though open-world design predates it.
  47. - Lemmings Can you dig it? A new 2021 documentary shining a light on the iconic video game at 30!. A trailer for the Lemmings thirtieth anniversary documentary. Sequels ran through 1994 with Oh No! More Lemmings, Lemmings 2: The Tribes and All New World of Lemmings.
  48. - The History of Grand Theft Auto, Lemmings & DMA Design. Documentary outlet /noclip traces the studio from the Kingsway Amateur Computer Club through Lemmings to Grand Theft Auto. David Jones founded DMA Design in 1988 aged 22, and the first office opened in August 1989 above a former fish and chip shop in Dundee.
  49. - R* Founder about RAGE (Rockstar Advanced Game Engine). A Rockstar founder on the in-house engine. Moving off licensed middleware was the decisive technical shift between the 3D era and the HD era.
  50. - Lemmings Documentary Sneak Peek: Is It A True Original? (Exclusive Clip #1). A clip from the Lemmings documentary on whether the game was genuinely original. DMA Design's founding team came out of the Kingsway Amateur Computer Club in Dundee.
  51. - Lemmings Documentary Sneak Peek: The Glory Days (Exclusive Clip #2). The DMA Design of the early 1990s, from the Lemmings anniversary documentary. David Jones was a millionaire at 25 on the back of a puzzle game about saving small creatures.
  52. - Lemmings: Can You Dig It? (Full 2 Hour Documentary - 30th Anniversary Feature Retrospective). A two-hour documentary on Lemmings, made for the game's thirtieth anniversary. Released February 1991 through Psygnosis, it sold 20 million copies across 21 platforms and funded the studio that went on to make Grand Theft Auto.
  53. - Criterion Games: The Rise and Fall. Criterion's arc including the middleware licensing business that powered Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City and San Andreas, and the acquisition that ended it.
  54. - Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Definitive Edition Revisited: BIG Improvements Since Launch. Digital Foundry revisits the Definitive Edition of the three RenderWare-era games after post-launch patching. The original trilogy ran on licensed middleware from Criterion Games rather than technology Rockstar built.
  55. - Games Made With The Renderware Engine 📌. Games built on RenderWare. The 3D era's technical foundation was bought rather than built, which is a large part of the explanation for its pace.
  56. - DMA Design - Grand Theft Auto - 1997. The first Grand Theft Auto, released in Europe on 28 November 1997 and in North America on 24 March 1998. The design document is dated 22 March 1995 and development began on 4 April 1995.
  57. - Why is Video Game Preservation so Slow?. On why game preservation moves slowly. The 3D-era Grand Theft Auto games ran on licensed middleware, which complicates re-release and is part of why remasters have been contentious.
  58. - Body Harvest - What Happened?. Body Harvest was DMA Design's Nintendo 64 project and one of two 3D experiments, with Space Station Silicon Valley, that preceded the series' move into three dimensions. Open-world design predates Grand Theft Auto III, including in DMA's own earlier work.
  59. - Grand Theft Auto 6 - DF Direct GTA 6 Special - Trailer 1 Tech Breakdown. Digital Foundry breaks down the technology visible in the first Grand Theft Auto VI trailer. Analysis of this kind is the only technical account available for a game that has not shipped, and everything it examines is Rockstar-published footage rather than leak-derived material.
  60. - Grand Theft Auto Trilogy Definitive Edition - iOS/iPhone vs Consoles - The DF Tech Review. The remastered trilogy compared across mobile and console hardware. Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City and San Andreas originally shipped within three years of each other on the same engine.
  61. - DF Retro: The NEW Grand Theft Auto 3 Dreamcast Port Is A Miracle... And It's Just The Beginning. Grand Theft Auto III began development on the Dreamcast and moved to PlayStation 2 when the Dreamcast was judged commercially unviable. A later fan port back to the original target hardware closes a loop the industry never did.
  62. - Grand Theft Auto 5 PC - Ray Tracing Upgrade - A Preview of GTA 6 Features?. Grand Theft Auto V received a ray-tracing upgrade on PC twelve years after its 2013 release. The game had already shipped across three console generations, and that longevity rather than its launch is what made it commercially exceptional.
  63. - This N64 Game Was WAY Ahead of its Time!. Body Harvest reassessed. The studio's willingness to build large traversable spaces predates the game that made the idea famous.
  64. - Grand Theft Auto 6 Trailer 2 Tech Breakdown - Incredible Realism, Impressive RT, Astonishing Detail. A technical reading of Trailer 2, released unannounced on 6 May 2025. Digital Foundry works only from the published asset, which matters for a title whose circulating gameplay footage is otherwise leak-derived, fake or AI-generated.
  65. - Lemmings: How DMA Design Redefined Puzzle Games. Lemmings, released February 1991, sold 20 million copies across 21 platforms and made David Jones a millionaire at 25. The studio that made Grand Theft Auto first made a gentle puzzle game about saving small creatures.
  66. - GTA co-creator on GTA 6 - launch excitement and pressure | Dan Houser and Lex Fridman. The series co-creator on the pressure around an unreleased sequel he did not write. Grand Theft Auto VI is announced for 19 November 2026 and no reviews or sales exist.
  67. - How GTA worlds were created | Dan Houser and Lex Fridman. Dan Houser on how the game worlds were built. He left Rockstar on 11 March 2020 after serving as Vice President of Creative and lead writer across the series.
  68. - Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas 20 Years Later | A Platinum Retrospective. A long retrospective on San Andreas, released 26 October 2004 and the largest of the three RenderWare games. It is set across a fictionalised California and Nevada in the early 1990s.
  69. - Before GTA: The Rockstar Game That Started It All (Nintendo 64). The Nintendo 64 project that preceded the series' 3D turn. DMA had already experimented with three dimensions years before the PlayStation 2 made the approach commercially viable.
  70. - Body Harvest N64: The GTA Prototype Hiding on Nintendo 64. Body Harvest treated as the technical bridge toward the 3D era. What Grand Theft Auto III did was put an existing open-world crime design into 3D on hardware that could carry it.
  71. - Die Geschichte von Criterion Games | Das Studio, das keine Rennspiele mehr machen darf. A history of Criterion Games, whose RenderWare engine was licensed for the 3D era. Bought technology, reused across three games and a small team, is the technical explanation for a release pace no publisher has matched since.
  72. - Complete History of Grand Theft Auto. A recent full history of the series, made weeks before the announced release of Grand Theft Auto VI on 19 November 2026. The gap since Grand Theft Auto V in 2013 is roughly thirteen years.
  73. - In GTA 6 You're Not Just Wanted, You're Hunted - Rockstar Explains. Rockstar explains a wanted-system change for the unreleased sequel. Everything known about the game's design comes from material the company has chosen to publish.
  74. - GTA 6 - Biggest Gameplay Changes From Grand Theft Auto 5. Changes visible between Grand Theft Auto V, released 2013, and the unreleased sequel. Roughly thirteen years separate the two games.
  75. - The Accidents That Built Rockstar Games. On the contingencies behind the studio's rise. The widely repeated story that a police-AI bug accidentally created the game is fan-wiki folklore; what is attributable is Gary Penn's remark that nobody wants to be the cop, and that the project nearly died.
  76. - Grand Theft Auto III – The Legacy Review. A retrospective review of Grand Theft Auto III, released 23 October 2001 and developed by roughly 23 people at DMA Design in Edinburgh. It popularised the open-world crime game rather than inventing it.
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