1988–1997General sourceWell documented
DMA Design and the First Grand Theft Auto
On the timeline · around 1988–1997 ·
What happened
Rockstar's roots lie in DMA Design, a Scottish studio founded in Dundee in 1988 that first found fame with the puzzle hit Lemmings. In 1997 DMA released Grand Theft Auto, a top-down crime game — published by BMG Interactive — whose freewheeling mayhem and media notoriety made it a cult sensation.
Why it matters
The original GTA established the irreverent, controversy-courting formula that would become one of the most valuable franchises in entertainment.