Lemmings YouTube documentary celebrates puzzle game’s 30th anniversary

metro.co.uk:

Announced last year, the Lemmings 30th anniversary documentary has now aired on YouTube, the same day the first game released.

2021 marked the 30th anniversary of strategy puzzle game Lemmings. To celebrate the occasion, series publisher Exient announced that it had commissioned a feature-length documentary to chronicle and explore its origins and legacy.

Said documentary, titled Lemmings: Can You Dig It?, is now available to watch for free on YouTube. This isn’t Exient’s idea of a Valentine’s Day present as the first Lemmings game released on February 14 in 1991.

The documentary, which was filmed remotely, not only examines and celebrates Lemmings’ history, but features a huge cast of former staff, journalists, fans, and games industry executives, including Peter Molyneux and Forspoken writer Gary Whitta.

‘It has been an absolute joy to watch the Lemmings story unfold through hundreds of hours of interview footage with the original DMA Design development team, video game industry execs and fans,’ says Exiant’s creative marketing manager Jamie Wotton.

‘The film celebrates everything that made the original game so special, including the city of Dundee in which it was made. And it celebrates the important place these little critters still have in popular culture.’

While it has received several sequels, the goal in Lemmings has always been the same: to guide a certain number of the titular Lemmings to safety across multiple levels.

Scottish developer DMA Design originally helmed the series, before creating the Grand Theft Auto series and becoming Rockstar North. The most recent entry is a reimagining on iOS and Android from Exiant which released a few years ago and is still receiving updates.

While not as massive as it once was,