The original Grand Theft Auto has been credited for largely defining the “sandbox game.” Edge UK has a retrospective on its development, and it is interesting to note the combination of will and serendipity that enabled the game to come about.

The origins of the game tie to their attempts to build out a living city; originally this was to be represented in a 3D isometric view, similar to the concurrent game Syndicate Wars. However, performance problems would force the developers away from this view. The top-down view, interestingly, would be inspired by the side-scrolling Clockwork Knight from Sega.

Gamers can clearly see the core of the original game in the sequels. However, DMA wanted the original to be much more of a city simulation, with “buses following routes, people getting on and off, traffic lights working properly, a rail network.” While a number of the items made it into the game, others would have to wait for future technology, or would be dropped altogether. One of the dropped ideas was too make the game more horror themed, which would have truly changed the complexion of the series.

Other travails include rebuilding the game tiles for the Playstation version of the game, and convincing publishers to take a chance on its release. The article is an interesting rundown on one of the most influential game series of the past decade.