Software Engineering Daily

Grand Theft Auto III on the Dreamcast with Falco Girgis and Stef Kornilios Mitsis Poiitidis

May 8, 2025

Falco Girgis and Stef Kornilios Mitsis Poiitidis, talented developers behind the GTA3 Dreamcast port, share their journeys in game development. They discuss the formidable challenges of adapting a groundbreaking game to the Dreamcast's hardware limits. Their insights into reverse engineering, performance optimization, and collaborative efforts showcase the ingenuity of the homebrew community. They also highlight the importance of real-time performance monitoring and the exciting future of Dreamcast development, inspiring retro gaming enthusiasts everywhere.

47:40

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Episode guests

Stef Kornilios Mitsis Poiitidis

Falco Girgis

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Grand Theft Auto III's groundbreaking open-world design and narrative depth redefined video gaming, influencing both entertainment and popular culture significantly.

The complex process of porting GTA III to the Dreamcast involved innovative engineering solutions to overcome hardware limitations, reflecting the developers' dedication to retro gaming.

Deep dives

Impact of GTA III on Gaming Culture

Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001, revolutionized the gaming industry by solidifying video games as a significant form of entertainment and storytelling. Its innovative open-world design allowed players to explore a fully 3D city, marking a technological milestone that set the stage for future blockbuster franchises. In addition to its gameplay mechanics, the game influenced popular culture and is often credited for redefining expectations in game design and narrative depth. The successful launch on PlayStation 2 and PC highlighted its appeal, even as it was notably absent from the Sega Dreamcast platform.

Intro

2min

Dreamcast Development: Porting GTA III

8min

Transforming Games for Dreamcast

17min

Optimizing Game Code for Dreamcast

6min

Optimizing Matrix Operations

4min

Game Performance Profiling Techniques

4min

Dreamcast Development Update

8min

Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 an open-world action-adventure game developed by Rockstar Games and it had a profound impact on both gaming and popular culture. Its success cemented video games as a dominant form of entertainment and storytelling, and paved the way for future blockbuster franchises.

The game was also a technological milestone that redefined what was possible in open-world game design. It was one of the first fully 3D open-world games to offer seamless exploration, blending mission-based gameplay with a living, breathing city.

The game was originally released on PlayStation 2 and PC but never had an official Sega Dreamcast version. However, the homebrew community embarked on the goal of porting the game to the Dreamcast, and recently released the port to much acclaim.

Falco Girgis and Stef Kornilios Mitsis Poiitidis are developers on the GTA3 Dreamcast port. They join the podcast to talk about the Dreamcast hardware and the heroic task of porting GTA3 to the console.

Kevin Ball or KBall, is the vice president of engineering at Mento and an independent coach for engineers and engineering leaders. He co-founded and served as CTO for two companies, founded the San Diego JavaScript meetup, and organizes the AI inaction discussion group through Latent Space.

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