Stephen Bliss Game Boy
Image: Stephen Bliss

Even if the name doesn't ring a bell, you're almost certain to know the work of Stephen Bliss.

He was employed as an artist at Rockstar Games between the years of 2001 and 2016, and created the cover artwork for (deep breath) Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, Grand Theft Auto IV, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars and Grand Theft Auto V.

Bliss' connection with video games goes back even further, however. He worked on Sonic the Comic early in his career and even created an amazing map for Super Mario World. He was also involved in a promotional drive by Nintendo to show how its Game Boy console was being customised by artists in the early '90 – you might call them 'influencers' today.

Bliss even went as far as to paint up the 'Nuby Amplifier' accessory (basically a massive speaker that bolts onto the bottom of the console) and the Light Boy magnifier, which slots onto the top of the console, making the screen appear bigger and adding some much-needed illumination. Now that's dedication to your craft.

If you watched the UK TV series GamesMaster back in the day, then you'll have caught a small glimpse of Bliss' customised console during the first ever episode:

[source twitter.com]