None
Take-Two has just announced that GTA IV will be delayed from its original release date of October 2007 to sometime during the second fiscal quarter of 2008, which sets the date between February and April 2008.
Although no specific reason was cited, Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two said that “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.”
Ben Feder, Chief Executive Officer of Take-Two, commented on their previous assurance that the game would make its October release after an analyst predicted a slight delay. “Obviously, we are very disappointed to reduce guidance after having previously reaffirmed it. Other than a matter of timing, the movement of Grand Theft Auto IV does not compromise Take-Two in any way.” Feder stated. “Grand Theft Auto IV is going to be the defining next generation video game action adventure.”
In addition to the surprise announcement of the GTA IV delay, Take-Two has also confirmed that Manhunt 2 would miss its release this fiscal year, obviously due to the rating difficulties they’ve encountered.
While this is an obvious disappointment to gamers, it thins out the big holiday titles considerably, although it does undermine Microsoft’s claims of having the best holiday lineup ever.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Square Enix.