Game Dev Story 1997 |verified| -

Game Dev Tycoon, released in 2013 by GameDev.net, but I believe you are referring to a similar game which peaked in popularity around 1997, I think you might be referring to a game similar to 'Game Dev Tycoon', likely 'Deus Ex' (not a pure game dev sim) or SimTower which had some business management similar.

Game Dev Story is often remembered as a 2010 mobile hit, its "deep story" actually begins in April 1997 as the foundation of the Kairosoft empire. Википедия The 1997 Origin The original game, titled Game Development Evolution game dev story 1997