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DMA legend David Jones is set to make a rare public appearance later this month at the Scottish Game Developers Association's "Games Day" event, on a panel discussing the origins of Grand Theft Auto (h/t: MCV).
If you've ever looked into the early history of Grand Theft Auto (or Lemmings, Blood Money, or any of DMA's other popular titles), David Jones is a name that you should hopefully recognise.
As the founder of DMA Design, he was credited as the "Capo Di Tutte Cappa" on the original Grand Theft Auto game and served as the executive producer on its sequel, Grand Theft Auto 2, being present as the series's trademark gameplay of mission-based mayhem, carjacking, and satirical humour gradually took shape.
However, during a whirlwind merry-go-round of studio transfers and acquisitions that saw DMA Design change parent companies from Gremlin to Infogrames to Take-Two, he left and established Rage Games (Scotland) in 2000, which later became Realtime Worlds (the developer of games like Crackdown and APB: All-Points Bulletin). In the past, Jones has spoken on occasion about his role in the GTA story, but over the last few years or so, he appears to have stepped back from interviews about the series he helped create.
Recently, though, he's started to show signs of engaging with it once again, giving a rare interview late last month with LBC News, where he called the continued success of GTA "humbling" and "exciting," ahead of the Netflix trailer event, and agreeing to appear at the SGDA's Games Day event, taking place on September 25th, 2026 at the Water's Edge venue in Dundee (the former home of DMA Design).
Here, Jones will be giving the opening remarks to kick off the event before appearing on a "GTA Origins panel," alongside former DMA employees Colin Anderson, Mike Dailly, Keith Hamilton, and Gary Penn (the latter of whom will host the panel). This isn't the only talk taking place, either. Revolution Software's Charles Cecil will also be speaking on "The birth of UK video games," while the former Bethesda developer Jeff Gardiner will be giving a presentation on "Making single player RPGs in a multiplayer world," to name just a few of the other events.
As this event seems tailored for game developers at SGDA-enrolled companies, general admission (which includes food & drink, and the evening ceilidh featuring live music) is priced rather steeply, at £175.
If you're lucky enough to be an SGDA Member, however, you can claim two free tickets and purchase additional tickets for £49 each. You can find more info on the event here.