GTA IV delayed to 2008

by: Dan - posted: 8/2/2007 5:23:00 PM

In a fiscal guidance release today, Take-Two interactive reduced their fiscal guidance for 2007 to reflect Grand Theft Auto IV being delayed until 2008. Apparently the reason for the delay centers around having to create versions of the game for multiple platforms and the opportunity for Take-Two to make the Grand Theft Auto they always wanted. Unfortunately, this should have been one of the most-anticipated titles for Holiday 2007 and a major release for the fledgling PS3 lineup.  See quotes from the financial guidance release after the jump:

Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two, stated, "With Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar is setting a new standard for next generation video games. Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms. We all recognize that perfecting the game is vital and I can assure everyone it will be worth the wait. We owe it to the game's millions of fans, to our dedicated development team, and to our shareholders to make sure that Grand Theft Auto IV is a groundbreaking gaming experience that takes maximum advantage of next generation technology."

Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games, added, "The new consoles are allowing us to create the Grand Theft Auto game we always dreamed about. Every aspect of the game and its design has been completely transformed. The game is huge and is pushing the hardware platforms to their absolute limits. The top engineers from Sony and Microsoft are working closely with the team in Edinburgh right now, helping us to fully leverage the power of both platforms. As always, our goal is to surpass even the wildest expectations of the game's fans, and to create the ultimate high definition video game experience."