1.(Imagine Richard Pryor as the Godfather, laying down the history of Grand Theft Auto with that classic, authoritative tone, giving you the whole rundown like it’s a family saga you need to know.)
*Alright, listen up, ‘cause I’m about to break down the complete history of Grand Theft Auto, the kind of story you don’t just skim over. We’re talkin’ about one of the biggest, baddest, and most controversial video game series to ever hit the streets. Grand Theft Auto, or GTA if you’re in the know, is an open-world action-adventure series that’s been blowin’ minds and pissin’ off parents since day one. Published by Take-Two Interactive and cooked up by the masterminds over at Rockstar North—back when they were still known as DMA Design Ltd.—this series ain’t just another game, it’s a phenomenon, a cultural icon.*
*Now, every game in this series? It puts you in the shoes of a unique protagonist, someone who finds themselves knee-deep in the criminal underworld, with a to-do list full of felonies. You’re dropped into a fictional version of a major city, and your job? Complete a series of dirty deeds, no questions asked. But it ain’t just about the crimes—it’s about the world you’re in. GTA is known for its massive contribution to the open-world genre. We’re talkin’ highly interactive, large-scale environments that pull you in so deep, you forget you’re just holdin’ a controller. The level of immersion and realism? Unmatched, baby. But with greatness comes controversy, and GTA’s no-holds-barred approach to adult themes and violence has been blamed for all sorts of moral failings in American society. The critics? They love to wag their fingers, sayin’ this game is what’s wrong with the world today. But let me tell ya, that ain’t stopped the fans one bit.*
*In fact, all that controversy? It’s like gasoline on a fire—it just makes people want to play it even more. GTA ain’t just a game, it’s a worldwide cultural phenomenon, one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. So, how did this landmark series get its start? What’s kept it at the top of the game for nearly 25 years? Well, to answer that, we gotta take it all the way back to where it all began, with the creators who had a vision, a vision to change the game—literally. And trust me, when I say they did just that, I ain’t lyin’.*
*This is the history of Grand Theft Auto, and it’s one you ain’t gonna forget.*
______________________________________________________
Alright, let’s dive into a little history lesson, because knowing where we came from is just as important as knowing where we're headed.
Picture this: it’s 1984, Dundee, Scotland. A small group of computer enthusiasts—young, hungry, and passionate—start meeting up at the Kingsway Amateur Computer Club. Among them is Dave Jones, a former Timex employee studying systems engineering, alongside his classmate Steve Hammond, a 14-year-old prodigy named Mike Daly, and Russell Kaye, who’d been working on a prototype game for the ZX Spectrum with Dave. These guys were all about computer game development, sharing programming techniques, and collaborating on projects whenever they could.
But the real turning point came with Dave’s sci-fi shooter, *Menace*. Dave, tired of building games for the ZX Spectrum like everyone else, decided to take a leap. He teamed up with Tony Smith, another classmate, and they started developing a game for the Amiga—a more powerful system that allowed for detailed spaceship designs and complex parallax backgrounds. This was a big deal back then, especially since games like Konami’s *Salamander* were only available in arcades. Bringing that kind of experience home was revolutionary.
Their efforts didn’t go unnoticed. A Liverpool-based game studio called Psygnosis saw the potential and agreed to publish *Menace*. This was huge. With a publisher in their corner, Dave founded DMA Design—named after a line in the programming manual for his Amiga 1000. After years of hard work, *Menace* was finally released, and it marked a major turning point for these young programmers. They realized there was serious money to be made in game development, a field that most people at the time didn’t even consider a real profession.
So, Dave set up a small office in downtown Dundee. Soon after, Mike, Russell, Steve, Tony, and newcomers Gary Timmons and Scott Johnston joined DMA as full-time developers, leaving behind their old jobs and academic plans. The studio quickly began working on more games for Psygnosis, mostly sci-fi shooters.
Then, something unexpected happened. Scott Johnston, while working on one of the projects, started animating little human enemies. These little guys, initially just a joke, would soon become known as the Lemmings—tiny, pixelated characters that players would guide through dangerous puzzle chambers. What started as a few silly animations shared between Mike Daly and Gary Timmons quickly caught Psygnosis's attention, and before they knew it, DMA was fully committed to developing a game starring these suicidal rodents.
Lemmings became DMA’s first major collaborative project. Everyone—Mike, Dave, Russell, Scott, Gary—was designing levels, challenging each other to make the most difficult puzzles they could think of. They got so good at it that they could solve some of the toughest levels in record time, which only pushed them to create even more ingenious puzzles.
When *Lemmings* was finally released in 1991, it was an instant hit. The game sold over 55,000 copies on its first day, which was monumental for the time. Mike Daly later estimated that this would be equivalent to around 15 million units in 2006, and even more by today’s standards. Overnight, *Lemmings* became a cultural phenomenon, catapulting DMA into the spotlight and catching the eye of Nintendo, who saw huge potential in this small Scottish team.
With the success of *Lemmings*, DMA invested in some serious upgrades. They moved out of their tiny office into a much larger space near the old university and hired more staff to handle their growing number of projects. They also expanded their operations, setting up rooms for advanced motion and audio capture technology. For the next three years, they focused on creating follow-ups to *Lemmings*, churning out sequel after sequel, each met with the same positive response from audiences.
Then, in 1993, everything changed. Sony made a surprise move, acquiring Psygnosis to boost their upcoming console division, and with it, they took the entire *Lemmings* intellectual property. DMA was left without a publisher and without their signature creation.
But, as it turns out, this was the best thing that could’ve happened. The team at DMA was burned out on *Lemmings* and saw this as the perfect opportunity to pivot back to more mature content. With the *Lemmings* chapter behind them, they turned their attention to new platforms, setting the stage for the next big chapter in DMA’s history.
So, remember this story—it’s a testament to how creativity, persistence, and a little bit of luck can turn a small group of enthusiasts into industry pioneers.
__________________________________________________________
Alright, listen up, 'cause you're about to get a crash course in some projects that never made it out of the gate. This is the kinda stuff you won’t find in your typical history book.
First up, the Sega Saturn. Now, back in the day, they were working on a version of a game for that console, but here's the thing—the Sega Saturn was already on its way out, like a sinking ship taking on water. So, before the game even got a chance to see the light of day, they pulled the plug. Same deal with Grand Theft Auto 64. They had big ambitions for this one, planned to bring it to the Nintendo 64 with promises of better graphics and some brand-new missions. But just like that, the whole project got canned. Nobody ever got to play it, and it vanished into thin air, just another 'what could’ve been.'
Now, here's where it gets real interesting. Fast forward to March 2001—Take-Two Interactive announced they were gonna bring the game to the PalmPilot. Yeah, you heard me right, the PalmPilot—an early handheld device that was all the rage back then. Global Star Software was supposed to take the reins on this one. They even dropped a demo for Palm OS on their website, got people excited. But come June 2002, the project got the axe. Canceled, just like that. And the PalmPilot version? It went the way of the dodo.
Now let’s talk about something a bit more tangible—the cover art. This is where things get a little spicy. The UK cover for Grand Theft Auto featured a shot straight outta New York. We’re talkin’ a 1980s Plymouth Gran Fury from the New York Police Department, tearing through an intersection at Fifth Avenue and 56th Street. And in the background? None other than Trump Tower, just sittin’ there like it’s king of the city. Now, they switched things up depending on where you were. In the US, the PC version had this yellow car on the cover. Europe? They went with a design that would later become iconic in the series. And Japan? Well, they had their own style going on, including one cover that featured the Statue of Liberty.
And here’s a little nugget of trivia for you—the UK cover wasn’t just for the first game. In some places, they even reused it as an alternate cover for Grand Theft Auto 2. That’s how much of an impact it had.
So, there you go. Every twist, every turn, every little detail that never made it big. Keep this knowledge in your back pocket—it might just come in handy someday.
Now, let me tell ya about these fellas. They was deep into this thing called Elite, right? That was their big inspiration, no doubt. But there’s this one guy, he’s workin’ on somethin' called Frontier—now, Frontier’s a whole different ball game, somethin' that stands apart. But hold on, 'cause it ain't just him; you got a whole crew with their minds on things like Syndicate, Mercenary, and Elite, all of 'em bringin' their own flavor to the mix. And you know what happens when you throw all that in the pot? You end up with this open-plan kinda structure, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. The game they ended up with, well, it’s like Elite but in a city—just ain't got that same hustle of takin' on jobs the old way. Nah, you’re still takin' on jobs, but it’s got a different twist to it, still built on the same bones. They made it more palatable, more like the real world we’re all used to. It started out as a game of cops and robbers, but y'know how it goes—ain’t nobody tryin' to be the cop. It's way more fun to be the one raisin’ hell. So, they turned it into what we all know as Grand Theft Auto.
*Now, back in early ’97, you got this cat, Keith Hamilton, he’s runnin' the whole show. And he comes out sayin’, ‘Man, GTA’s givin’ us a rougher time than we bargained for.’ So what do they do? They go back, start reworkin' the way them cars handle, givin’ 'em a whole new feel. And lucky for them, they got a little breather 'cause they’re already busy switchin' the graphics to 24-bit. So, they keep grindin’, pushin’ through the headaches, and that’s how they ended up with the beast of the GTA we all know today, ‘cause this one’s a little complex. So, they started out with Grand Theft Auto on MS-DOS, right? That was the original. But they ain’t stop there—no, sir. They went ahead and ported it to Windows, usin' this thing called SciTech MGL. Then, these cats over at Visual Sciences, they took the game and brought it to the PlayStation, doin' their magic with some framework they called “ViSOS,” whatever that means. And you know they couldn't leave the Game Boy Color outta the mix. Now, get this—the Game Boy Color version, it wasn’t cut down like you’d expect. No, they somehow managed to squeeze those massive cities, tile-for-tile, right onto that little handheld. That’s a technical miracle right there! But, since it was aimed at a younger crowd, they had to tone things down, pull out the gore, and clean up the language. You know, make it a little more family-friendly.*
*Now, the PC version, that came in a couple different flavors. You had your DOS version, your Windows version, and they both shared the same set of data files, except for the 8-bit color DOS version, which had its own set of graphics—similar but not quite the same. And there was a time when you could get it as a free download through Rockstar Classics, right alongside Wild Metal and Grand Theft Auto 2. But, don’t get your hopes up, ‘cause that free download? It ain't available no more.*
*Now, let me tell ya about a couple of projects that never saw the light of day. They was workin' on a version for the Sega Saturn, but, man, that console was on its way out faster than a rat in a sinking ship. So, they pulled the plug before it ever hit the shelves. Same story with Grand Theft Auto 64—they had big plans to bring it to the Nintendo 64, with rumors of better graphics and some fresh new missions. But, just like that, the whole thing got canceled, and nobody ever got to see it.*
*Now, here’s a little twist for ya—in March 2001, Take-Two Interactive announces they’re bringin’ the game to the PalmPilot. Yeah, you heard me right—the PalmPilot. Global Star Software was supposed to handle the release, and they even dropped a demo for Palm OS on their website. But by June 2002, the whole project got scrapped, and that was the end of that.*
*Now, let’s talk cover art, 'cause this is where it gets interesting. The UK cover for Grand Theft Auto? It’s got this badass shot of a New York Police Department 1980s Plymouth Gran Fury, burnin’ through an intersection at Fifth Avenue and 56th Street. And in the background? Trump Tower, sittin' there like it owns the place. Now, they switched it up for different regions—like in the US, the PC version had this yellow car on the cover, and in Europe, they went with a design you’d recognize from later games in the series. Over in Japan, they had their own thing goin’ on, including one cover with the Statue of Liberty. And here’s a fun fact—the UK cover was also used as an alternate cover for Grand Theft Auto 2 in some places.*
*And that’s how it all went down—every detail, every twist and turn, laid out just for you.*
(Imagine Richard Pryor as the Godfather, spinning this tale with that smooth, commanding presence, making sure every detail lands with the weight it deserves.)
*Alright, now let’s get into the characters, 'cause they’re what make this story tick. You got yourself a choice at the start—you can pick from eight different protagonists to roll with. Now, don’t get too excited, ‘cause this choice? It don’t change nothin’—the gameplay, the story, it’s all the same no matter who you choose. But your character? They’re about to get tangled up with some serious players in the underworld. First, there’s Robert “Bubby” Seragliano, the big boss of the Vercotti crime family, a man on a mission to avenge his father’s death. Then you got Uncle Fu, this ancient mastermind runnin’ a Chinese gang that’s got beef with a Latino gang led by El Burro. And let’s not forget Samuel Deever, a dirty cop down in Vice City, got his fingers in all sorts of criminal pies. And finally, there’s Brother Marcus, the top dog of the Brotherhood of Jah Army of Love, also known as the biggest drug dealer in Vice City.*
*Now, let me break down the story for ya. Your protagonist? They start their criminal career in Liberty City, workin’ for none other than Robert “Bubby” Seragliano. After doin’ a few dirty jobs for him, word comes down from a rival gang—seems like your actions are stirrin' up trouble for Sonetti, Bubby’s enemy. But you ain't sweatin’ that; you keep pushin’ forward, takin' on more work for Seragliano, until you finally take Sonetti out. Bubby’s impressed, no doubt, but he’s no fool—he warns you that the cops are closin’ in, and it might be time for you to skip town.*
*So, you make your way to San Andreas. No sooner do you get there than Uncle Fu’s gang reaches out, and you start runnin’ jobs for them. After a while, you get to meet Fu himself. The old man’s grateful, says your work brought honor to the family—high praise comin’ from him. But your work ain’t done yet. You switch over to workin’ for El Burro, and after doin’ some heavy liftin’ for his crew, you meet the man in person, who sends you off to Vice City.*
*Now, here’s where it gets real tricky. Your actions catch the eye of Samuel Deever, that crooked Vice City cop I mentioned. He’s got dirt on you, evidence that could lock you up for life. So, what does he do? He blackmails you into doin' his dirty work. The pattern repeats—you do your jobs, meet the man, and he warns you to watch your step. Finally, you start workin’ for the Rastafarians, and after a few more jobs, you come face-to-face with Brother Marcus. The man’s pleased, says you did a damn good job, but he’s got a sense about these things—he tells you that you two ain’t ever gonna cross paths again.*
*And that’s the rundown—every character, every twist in the story, just like that. It’s a web of crime, loyalty, and danger, with your protagonist right in the middle of it all.*
*Alright, let’s talk about the soundtrack, ‘cause this part right here? It’s pure genius. See, the folks at DMA, they knew they were onto somethin’ big with this open world game. They figured, “Hey, if we’re givin’ players the freedom to roam the city, we gotta give ‘em some tunes to cruise to.” So, what do they do? They come up with the idea of havin’ multiple radio stations, each spinnin’ different genres of music. Now, these ain’t just any radio tracks—three cats from the DMA crew, Colin Anderson, Craig Conner, and Grant Middleton, they composed the whole thing. And here’s the kicker—they recorded all that music at night, right in the company’s offices. That’s dedication, baby.*
*Now, Grand Theft Auto? It’s got seven radio stations and a police band track, and you can hear ‘em all when you hop into a vehicle. But there’s a catch—not every car picks up every station. It’s like some cars got a better antenna, some don’t. But here’s the cool part: once the game’s done loadin’, you can pop the game’s CD out, slide in your own music, and the game will play that when you jump into a car. Yeah, that’s right—you can roll through the city listenin’ to whatever jams you want, and the game’ll randomly pick tracks from your CD to play. Now that’s some next-level stuff, right?*
*And don’t think they forgot about a main theme, neither. Craig Conner, he put together this banger, credited it to a fictional band they called Da Shootaz. And here’s a fun little twist for ya—aside from Head Radio, you never hear the names of the songs or the stations in the game. It’s like a secret playlist, just for you, keepin’ you locked into that world without breakin’ the vibe.*
*So, there you have it—the soundtrack to Grand Theft Auto. It’s more than just background noise; it’s a whole experience, crafted with care, designed to keep you immersed while you’re tearin’ up the city streets. Pure genius, all of it.*
