Grand Theft Auto (video game)

For the Game Boy Advance game, see Grand Theft Auto Advance.

Grand Theft Auto
UK cover art
Developer(s)DMA Design[a]
Publisher(s)
Director(s)Keith R. Hamilton
Producer(s)David Jones
Designer(s)
  • Stephen Banks
  • Paul Farley
  • Billy Thomson
Programmer(s)Keith R. Hamilton
Artist(s)Ian McQue
Writer(s)
  • Brian Baglow
  • Brian Lawson
Composer(s)
  • Colin Anderson
  • Craig Conner
  • Grant Middleton
SeriesGrand Theft Auto
Platform(s)
Release
28 November 1997
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Grand Theft Auto is an action-adventure video game developed by DMA Design and published by BMG Interactive. It is the first title of the Grand Theft Auto series and was released in November 1997 for MS-DOS and Windows, in December 1997 for the PlayStation and in October 1999 for the Game Boy Color. The game's narrative follows a criminal who climbs in status within the criminal underworld across three fictional cities, inspired by real-life locations. The gameplay is presented from a top-down perspective and takes place within an open-world environment in which the player is required to gather a certain number of points ranging in the millions to progress through the game's chapters. Points are gathered by completing various missions throughout each city, although the player can gather the points through other means as well.

Grand Theft Auto began development as a game titled Race 'n' Chase, in which the player controlled a police officer pursuing criminals. However, the game was considered dull, and the concept of playing as a criminal was adopted.[9] The development team worked to ensure that the player would have the freedom to play however they intend. Grand Theft Auto created a great deal of controversy even before its launch due to its violent content, with discussions taking place about banning its sale.[10] The game's marketing campaign, organised by publicist Max Clifford, exploited this stirring of controversy as free promotion.[11][12][13]

Grand Theft Auto was met with mixed reviews upon release, but was a commercial success. While the graphics and controls were criticised, the entertainment value, sound design and freedom of the gameplay were praised. Over time, it has been recognised as one of the greatest video games. Two expansions taking place in 1960s England, Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 and Grand Theft Auto: London 1961, were launched in 1999. The success of Grand Theft Auto spawned a series of games which built upon the original's gameplay and themes; the Grand Theft Auto series has since become one of the most popular and best-selling video game franchises of all time. The first sequel in the series, Grand Theft Auto 2, was released in October 1999.

  1. ^ "ASC Games' Grand Theft Auto Races Into Stores" (Press release). ASC Games. 24 March 1998. Archived from the original on 9 February 1999 – via grandtheftauto.com.
  2. ^ Mullen, Micheal (24 March 1998). "Grand Theft Auto Available". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 6 December 1998.
  3. ^ Bird, Drayton (20 November 1997). "Advertising & Promotion: BMG plans spree with crime game". Campaign. Archived from the original on 31 July 2021. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  4. ^ "Old News – November". grandtheftauto.com. November 1997. Archived from the original on 6 December 1998.
  5. ^ Kushner, David (2012). "Eating the Hamster". Jacked: The Outlaw Story of Grand Theft Auto. Wiley. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-470-93637-5 – via Internet Archive.
  6. ^ "GTA dev releases original design document". GameSpot. 22 March 2011. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Games Guide". Computer Trade Weekly. No. 667. United Kingdom. 8 December 1997. p. 24.
  8. ^ a b "Take-Two Interactive Software Inc.'s Rockstar Games Division Announces its GTA2 has Gone Gold and Will Ship Worldwide on October 22" (Press release). Take-Two Interactive. 13 October 1999. Archived from the original on 3 December 2018. Retrieved 2 December 2018 – via The Free Library.
  9. ^ Tristan Donovan (31 January 2011). "The Replay Interviews: Gary Penn". Informa PLC. Archived from the original on 8 July 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2013.
  10. ^ ""Grand Theft Auto": Computer Game (Hansard, 20 May 1997)". api.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  11. ^ Hall, Jake (27 January 2022). "The Sleazeball Publicist Who Manufactured Grand Theft Auto's Notorious Reputation". MEL Magazine. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  12. ^ Rose, Mike (22 October 2012). "The man who engineered the Grand Theft Auto controversy". Gamasutra. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  13. ^ Weber, Rachel (22 October 2012). "GTA: 'Max Clifford made it all happen'". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved 3 June 2024.


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