35 years ago yesterday, DMA Design opened its first office β a significant event in the history of games, as this was the company that created the GTA franchise.
While the company was founded in the previous year by David Jones, its first physical office didn't open until 1989. This is a fact which would have passed us by had former DMA staffer Mike Dailly not posted about it today.
"This almost totally slipped by me," Dailly said on Twitter. "35 Years ago yesterday (1st August 1989), DMA Design opened their first offices. While the influence DMA has over the Games Industry is incalculable, we were just young guys having fun making games we loved."
According to Dailly, the company's first office was at 134b Nethergate, Dundee β "a tiny 2-room office. This was such a good time, one step up from bedroom coding."
DMA's first game was the 2D shmup Menace. 1991's Lemmings would be the company's big break, becoming one of the most successful games of the early '90s. Other notable DMA games include Walker, Hired Guns, Unirally, Body Harvest and Space Station Silicon Valley.
The studio is now known as Rockstar North.