Rockstar Hits Original GTA Developer With Copyright Strike for Sharing Early Game Footage

ign.com:

Grand Theft Auto creator Mike Dailly has been hit with copyright strikes for his own work.

Dailly was one of the founders of DMA Design, which eventually became Rockstar North and was responsible for the original Grand Theft Auto. But after he posted prototype videos and old design documents to social media, Rockstar issued the creator with a number of copyright strikes.

“I see Rockstar are going full f*****s mode again, issuing copyright strikes to any GTA video they can find - including both my prototype videos,” he said via Twitter. “So, now they're trying to block all release of anyone's work on a game - and any old development footage.”

I see Rockstar are going full fuckers mode again, issuing copyright strikes to any GTA video they can find - including both my prototype videos. So now they're trying to block all release of anyone's work on a game - and any old development footage.

Two videos on Dailly’s YouTube account were affected, both showing prototype renders from early graphics engines that Dailly himself had developed in the early 90s for us on Grand Theft Auto. One was a rotating isometric prototype while the other depicted the top-down style that the franchise is famous for.

Dailly also removed links to a 25-year-old design document for GTA2 that he posted on Twitter.

He told PC Gamer that the reason for the takedown was for posting development footage without permission.

“I've now removed all GTA dev stuff,” he said via Twitter. “Only direct examples of my own work are left - work that was never used in GTA, but ‘inspired’ parts of its evolution.”

Dailly also teased another Grand Theft Auto design document that would now “never see the light of day”.

Here's another 10 page #GTA design doc that will now never see