Gathering of Tweakers

Details:

~ Game Title: Grand Theft Auto IV
~ Release Date: US: October 16th 2007 Europe: October 19th 2007
~ Developed by: Rockstar North
~ Produced by: Rockstar Games
~ Official Website: www.rockstargames.com/grandtheftauto4

The Facts

* Grand Theft Auto IV will be simultaneously available for the PlayStation®3 and Xbox 360™ and is currently planned to be in stores in North America on October 16, 2007 and in Europe on October 19, 2007.
* Microsoft and Rockstar Games have announced a strategic alliance to provide exclusive episodic content for Xbox Live®, giving the community ever-expanding gameplay experiences that aren't possible on other consoles.

Rumours & Speculation

* Rockstar North received their PlayStation3 game developers kit in August 2005 and have since then been working on a brand new game engine for what the October issue of PSM is calling, a next-gen GTA title. Eye-candy aside, they are supposedly aiming to create a photo-realistic city for GTA 4.

"Rockstar North is creating a specialized game engine for PS3 that will bring GTA 4 to life to a degree that PS2 games could only hint at. Specifically, they're going to be using the high data transfer bandwidth of the Cell CPU, RSX GPU, and Blu-ray Disc to use several streams of game info simultaneously. The game's city - unfortunately yet to be even hinted at - will still be free roaming and seamless, but broken down into smaller, more deatailed areas at the engine level, into which the game designers are going to be able to pour more textures, more oject variety, and tons of details (such as discareded soda cans with their own physics), just for starters. The goal is a city that's less repetitive and where everything - and everyone - looks and acts more like they would in the real world on every level."
-- PSM Magazine USA, November 2005

* Multiplayer - There were signs of multiplayer development in the GTA3 (PC) data files. GTA: San Andreas featured something very similar to multiplayer known as 'co-op'. Most recently, GTA: Liberty City Stories featured seven multiplayer game modes with each supporting upto six players. This evidence (and more) suggests that Rockstar are keen to develop a fully functional GTA multiplayer in future releases, so multiplayer is indeed a strong possiblity in Grand Theft Auto 4.
* Setting - Due for next-gen systems, sources close to the project suggest the team is looking beyond the US for the setting of the next title, with Europe being a strong contender.
* Images - A fake screenshot of Grand Theft Auto 4 surfaced on the 29th of June, 2005. Its source is to-date unknown, but we were able to confirm with Rockstar on September 21st that it is fake:

GTA 4 Fake Screenshot

Interviews

The January issue of Game Informer magazine contained a lengthy interview with the president of Rockstar Games, Sam Houser. Even though he is notoriously elusive in speaking to gaming publications, Game Informer managed to sit down with him and ask him about the GTA series, as well as the gaming industry. Here is a sample of the interview:

Question: Is this the last new Grand Theft Auto game we'll see on this generation of hardware? It seems like you've probably pushed the PS2 hardware about as far as you can.

Answer: "Terry [Donovan, CEO of Rockstar] will batter me if I answer that question! [Laughs] It is the last full-blown thing we're going to see for now. But someone might come up with a wacky idea that's fun and relevant tomorrow. I'm one of those "never say never" kind of people. It was really important for us to do this trilogy. A fictional New York in a contemporary setting, Miami in the '80s, and a '90s Cali - that was the trilogy. That was the plan from a long time ago. I'm not the biggest fan of games coming out with new versions year after year. Putting out the same game every year, plus ten percent, that's not our thing."

When asked about an online GTA game, Houser mentioned Everquest as a possible source of inspiration. Additionally, "just giving people deathmatch, or even a cooperative deathmatch - that's not GTA." Houser spoke on Rockstar's choice of systems, saying he is "supporting all the next generation systems," and that "what we built the company on when we moved from PSone to PlayStation 2 was a desire to make games that you couldn't play on the existing platforms. That's very important."

GTA: London?

There is no doubt about it - if Rockstar decide to go for a European setting, London will be the main focus. Based on everything we've seen and heard so far, a British setting is likely. London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. It produces 17% of the UK's GDP and the City of London is one of the world's major financial centres. The former capital of a global empire, London is pre-eminent in the culture, communications, politics, finance, and arts of its country, and has considerable influence worldwide. Alongside New York City, Paris, and Tokyo, London is often listed among the four major global cities. London's high crime rates and vast multi-cultural society, coupled with it's great mix of old and modern architecture make it an ideal location for GTA4.

» GTA:London In Depth

GTA.IV