Rockstar Games: The Full Story of the Studio That Built GTA

# Rockstar Games: The Complete History Rockstar Games did not start with Grand Theft Auto. The studio's path to becoming the world's most successful game developer is itself a compelling story. ## Origins: DMA Design (1987–2001) Rockstar North was originally DMA Design, founded in Dundee, Scotland in 1987 by David Jones. The studio created Lemmings (1991) — one of the best-selling puzzle games ever — before pivoting to action games. Body Harvest (1998) on Nintendo 64 was an early prototype of the open-world concepts that would define GTA. ## BMG Interactive & Take-Two (1996–1999) Grand Theft Auto was published by BMG Interactive in 1997 — at the time, a controversial choice. The top-down game's criminal gameplay got it banned in several markets, which only amplified its cultural reach. BMG sold DMA Design to Take-Two Interactive in 1999. ## The Rockstar Brand (1998–present) In 1998, Take-Two co-founder Sam Houser rebranded the games label "Rockstar Games." The New York-based label took control of DMA Design (renamed Rockstar North) and expanded by acquiring other studios. ## Rockstar's Studios Today - **Rockstar North** (Edinburgh) — Lead developer of GTA and core technology - **Rockstar New York** — Publishing, online infrastructure - **Rockstar Leeds, Lincoln, London, San Diego, Toronto, Bangalore** — Support studios ## Cultural Impact Rockstar has consistently pushed the boundaries of what games can be: - GTA III (2001) proved open-world 3D games could have cinematic narratives - GTA: Vice City (2002) showed games could have genuine cultural attitude - GTA V (2013) broke entertainment industry revenue records - Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018) demonstrated the deepest interactive world ever made - GTA 6 (2025) is expected to be the franchise's greatest achievement ## The Controversy Machine Rockstar has mastered a formula: create genuinely controversial content, let the mainstream media cover it extensively (free marketing), and then deliver a game so technically accomplished that critical consensus overwhelms the criticism. It has worked every time.