DMA Design
From Dundee to the world — the studio that invented the puzzle game genre, redefined open-world gaming, and became Rockstar North.
The Studio That Changed Everything
Founded in 1987 by Dave Jones while studying at what is now the University of Abertay Dundee, DMA Design grew from a student bedroom project into one of the most influential game studios in history. The name “DMA” stands for Dynamic Motion Algorithm — a technical name for an era of technical ambition.
DMA's first commercial games — Menace (1988) and Blood Money (1989) — were polished Amiga shooters published by Psygnosis. But it was Lemmings (February 1991) that changed everything. Born from a two-pixel walking figure created by Mike Dailly in Deluxe Paint, Lemmings became a global phenomenon — one of the best-selling games of the Amiga era, selling over twenty million copies across all platforms.
From Lemmings through Walker, Hired Guns, Uniracers, and Body Harvest, DMA pushed every platform they touched. Then came Grand Theft Auto (1997) — a chaotic, controversial, open-world crime game that launched one of the most successful franchises in entertainment history. After Take-Two Interactive's acquisition, DMA Design was renamed Rockstar North in 2002.
Full History
From Dave Jones's bedroom to Rockstar North — the complete DMA Design story.
Catalogue
All 15 titles with platform badges, year, and key credits. Filterable by platform.
Flagship Titles
Deep dives into Lemmings, Lemmings 2, Walker, Hired Guns, and Grand Theft Auto.
Music
Amiga MOD player — Tim Wright (CoLD SToRAGe) and Brian Johnston tracks. Not SID.
People
Dave Jones, Mike Dailly, Tim Wright, Steve Hammond, and the full DMA team.
Gallery
Screenshots, box art, and disc photos. Filterable by platform.
Videos
Noclip documentary, longplays, interviews, and retrospectives.
Play Now
DOSBox, archive.org, NeoLemmix, Lemmini — play Lemmings today.
Trivia
The Pixar lawsuit, the two-pixel sprite, the DMA acronym, and more.