Rockstar North is Rockstar Games' Edinburgh development studio and the creator of the Grand Theft Auto series. The studio led development of Grand Theft Auto V.1
The studio began as DMA Design and later operated as Rockstar Studios Limited and Rockstar North Limited before adopting its current legal name, Rockstar Games UK Limited.2 Rockstar continues to present the Edinburgh office publicly as Rockstar North.3
Grand Theft Auto
Rockstar North developed the mainline series from the original Grand Theft Auto and GTA 2 through GTA V, working within Rockstar Games after DMA Design joined Take-Two Interactive. GTA V also became the foundation for GTA Online.
Leslie Benzies and Aaron Garbut started work on Grand Theft Auto III before the project was approved in New York, in the recollection of former technical director Obbe Vermeij. The studio had finished Space Station Silicon Valley, and developers were making small prototypes while waiting for a new project. The rest of the team joined GTA III later.
Development of Manhunt ran alongside GTA III and Vice City, in the same recollection. The Manhunt team joined the main team during San Andreas.
Grand Theft Auto VI is credited to Rockstar Games rather than Rockstar North alone.
Rob Nelson is head of development and co-studio head at Rockstar North. Work on GTA VI builds on lessons from Rockstar's earlier games, with repeated adjustments to what works and how it feels to play.4