2. DMA Design
• Established in 1988 to make games for the Amiga.
• First success was ‘Blood Money’ an acclaimed
space shooter, said to be high quality and difficult.
• Huge success with Lemmings – sold 20 million
units on 21 different formats
• Made Uni-racers for N64, caught attention of
Nintendo.
• Developed Body Harvest for N64 launch, but
release delayed as Nintendo wanted amendments
for the Japanses market.
3. Race N Chase
• Top down, city based cops and robbers
game.
• Became Grand Theft Auto and was
published by BMG Interactive for the PC in
1997.
4. GTA’s Significance
• Ground breaking
freedom
• Adult content and 18
certificate - designed
for ‘mature gamer’
• Provocative marketing
5. Grand Theft Auto
• Released for the PC in
1997 and PS in 1998
• Developed by DMA
Design
• City based, top down
action game that gave the
player real freedom
• Controversial content
used to sell the game
• Sold 1 million
6. Change of ownership
• Gremlin bought DMA, who were then themselves
bought out by a French company called
Infogrames. Because of the BMG deal, DMA
weren’t part of the deal.
• In 1998 DMA (as part of BMG) was sold to New
York games publishers Take Two Interactive.
7. Sam Houser
• Founding member and
President of Rockstar
• Born 1972
• Joined BMG record
group at 17
• Worked in A&R and
Marketing
• Joined BMG
Interactive
• Worked on original
Grand Theft Auto
• Applied skills learnt
in the recording
industry in the games
industry
• Obsessed with
details
8. The big idea
• ‘Above all, I wanted to start a label for the
games industry like the labels you saw in
the record industry. At that time, games
were positioned as either toys or bits of
technology. But I was interested in a hip,
happening label, more about lifestyle, not
toys or technology. A valid form of
entertainment. Take-Two said off you go.’
Sam Houser, 2000
9. The plan
• BMG Interactive employees Sam Houser, Dan
Houser, Jamie King, Terry Donovan and Gary
Foreman pitch the idea of creating ‘cool’
gaming publishing label.
• Make a games brand that was ‘cool’
• Create games that would appeal to wider
audience - people with interest in films, music
and popular culture
• Deliver integrity between design, product and
marketing.
• Apply development and marketing strategies
used in other areas of entertainment
10. GTA 2 and beyond
• Released GTA: London 1969 in 1999 followed by
GTA 2 which sold 2 million copies.
• Developed and released GTA 3 as DMA Design
• After the successful release of GTA 3 Rockstar
Games bought DMA outright. It was renamed
Rockstar North in 2002.
12. 2000’s – Rockstar North releases
2003 – Manhunt
2004 – GTA San Andreas
2005 – GTA Liberty City Stories (with Rockstar Leeds)
2006 – GTA Vice City Stories (with Rockstar Leeds)
2007 – Manhunt 2
2008 – GTA IV
2009 – GTA Lost & Damned and Ballad of Gay Tony
(episodic downloadable content)
2010 – Red Dead Redemption and Undead Nightmare
(with Rocktar San Diego)
TBA - Agent
13. Take Two Interactive Software, Inc.
(aka Take-Two, or Take2)
HQ: New York
International HQ: Windsor, UK
Development studios in: San Diego,
Vancouver, Toronto and Novato,
Canada.
