Rockstar playing it low-key at E3
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Apr 18th 2006 at 4:55PM }
After
reviewing the E3 2006 floor
plans, it's clear that Rockstar will not be renting a showroom booth this year. Over at Planet Grand Theft Auto,
Jordan speculates that Take-Two's prized developer might be stowed away in a small, perhaps private meeting room.
According to the floor plans, Take-Two has reserved room 150C in the Concourse Hall.Rockstar's absence on the show floor likely means that the next GTA installment will not make the PS3 launch — or, if the franchise is going to defect, the Xbox 360's holiday lineup. Still, we can't help but wonder what might be previewed behind closed doors. Let's hope it's not just a high-stakes Table Tennis tournament.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
zelig2 @ Apr 18th 2006 5:03PM
Why would Rockstar waste its money on setting up a booth at E3? If they plan to have a PS3 launch of a GTA game all they have to do is annouce it the month before hand and leak a few images to generate more than enough interest to sell millions.
Eric B @ Apr 18th 2006 5:13PM
I agree that not much marketing effort would NEED to be done to sell millions of copies of GTA. That said, companies ALWAYS prepare a long marketing campaign for their AAA titles. So, the fact that they do not have any significant floor space at E3 pretty much tells us what the article states, no GTA for awhile.
Evil Inside @ Apr 18th 2006 5:26PM
Maybe they are affraid Jack Thompson will show up with an automatic rifle?
Or purhaps they are simply going to surprise everyone and show Bully, the GTA LCS for PS2 and the next GTA PSP game?
I'm sure they something up their sleeve...
Paul @ Apr 18th 2006 5:28PM
Unless of course Sony specifically asked to display that game in their booth.
Sal @ Apr 18th 2006 5:31PM
People should know by now that Rockstar does not debut New GTA titles @ E3 except for behind closed doors. The last GTA (San Andreas) was shown behind closed doors to gaming publications and debuted exclusivly by Game Informer w/ their E3 commerative issue. ~gsx~
Eric B @ Apr 18th 2006 5:34PM
I'm sure they have something up their sleeve as well. My only point is that whatever they have up their sleever for the NEAR FUTURE most likely will not be the next-gen iteration of the GTA franchise.
I'm really hoping that they go completely cross-platform with the PS3 and Xbox 360, but I doubt it.
Eric @ Apr 18th 2006 5:45PM
I don't know about last year, but two years ago Rockstar did the exact same thing at E3. No booth, only a small meeting room. Know what came out that fall? GTA San Andreas. So, Rockstar not renting booth space has nothing to do with what they're going to announce or release. Oh, and even when Rockstar had a booth they didn't show anything to anyone but major retail buyers. Rockstar does things their own way, and still sells millions of copies. Their marketing campaigns do not follow the norm.
JimmyHACK @ Apr 18th 2006 5:55PM
They had a lame showing last year, this is rockstar norm, last year they had busses which were for some limited play inside with very limited access,, they dont ever show off much of anything till retail
elmer @ Apr 18th 2006 6:05PM
The problem with a VERY large game like GTA being cross platform is that it's very hard for them to stop themeselves going over an 8GB DVD limit with the game knowing full well they could play with up to 50GB Blueray (or 4GB vs 25GB if multiple layers is an issue as was with the current gen games). It's even harder for them to squeeze from 50 down to 8. I'd also really question whether they'd ignore all those people you can count on buying PS3's given there were 100 million of them last time round.
Sabre @ Apr 18th 2006 6:11PM
@ JimmyHACK:
I was actally about to say the same thing...plus what made it even worse is that periodically they would throw out shorts, hats, etc. and everyone would act like a bunch of freakin' 15 year olds and just about trample anyone who was walking by.
Owns @ Apr 18th 2006 6:18PM
Yeah, the next GTA will be 50gb. Dude, Oblivion on Xbox 360 isn't even 8gb, and have you played that game? It's MASSIVE. Just because you have 50gb doesn't mean it's going to be utilized...this is an old debate. This gen is a new ballgame...I wouldn't be so sure about selling 100 million PS3's this time around either. With a $600-700 pricetag, a delay until November, and 1x blu-ray drive increasing load times, Sony has an uphill battle. Might be a smart idea to jump the Sony ship and head on over to the 360.
AC @ Apr 18th 2006 6:37PM
@ Owns im sorry but thats just BS ... i was @ walmart and the lineup of 360 games is just sad, maybe 1-2 games id like to play (full auto [which is coming to the pc soon] and oblivion [which i have for the pc] none of their games seem appealing enough to make me go buy a 360 (I also agree that not many companies are going to use 50gb worth of space (thats a small hard drive for christs sake,but it allows for bigger games, bigger everything, they dont have to compress anything and risk gfx for space or more content for space anymore, because most games that I buy nowadays are 4.27 gb (which is near the max of a dvd and i dont get much outta the game)
But i think everyone here is missing the real "NEXT-GEN" console the Revolution...
and if u got the latest issue of gameinformer they have a review of RED STEEL for the revolution (that just won me over )
i think im gonna get the revolution
Sabre @ Apr 18th 2006 6:55PM
"With a $600-700 pricetag"
Uhh...make you've been living under a rock but that isn't the price of the system. In fact it hasn't even been anounced yet. Besides, you can't just convert something from GBP or Euros to US Dollars and find the price of the system for the US.
Plus you are basically basing your idea on possibly jumping ship based on (some) information that isn't even true or confirmed.
jon @ Apr 18th 2006 7:24PM
Why is it that everyone that has criticized RockStar above gets a -1 point. Surely Joystiq staff aren't such obvious PS3 fanboys....or are they. Lets see how many minus points I receive for this post.
elmer @ Apr 18th 2006 7:31PM
I'm a Nintendo man myself.
Still, I'd find it hard to argue to shareholders that despite 2 successive systems selling in excess of 100 million units with increased system sales from one generation to the next (something that never happened to the market leader before), and having produced a franchise that worked best on those systems and with its markets, they decided to ignore Sony, and play their hunch with Microsoft. Bear in mind that Rockstar undoubtedly plans to sell in the 11 - 12 million range on the favoured system. If it were the original Xbox those kind of sales would require purchases by every second Xbox gamer (a feat even mario games don't usually achieve) and be repeated for each of the three released games.
To possibly repeat those heady successes, hitting the majority of the total market is paramount, and whether you like it or not, there are very few scenarios where PS3 will sell less than say 40 million systems - large enough to demand they at least port for it, even if say 360 ended up seling 60 million as unlikely as that is.
As for memory, just because a game is small, doesn't mean it uses little memory. The concern with DVD is that in previous generations developers started out using fractions of the media and used the whole thing by the end of the generation. I'm betting Oblivion uses a good majority of the disc. Where does it go from there? You understand that less data on the disc was actually a real reason few games were ported to Gamecube, don't you? There may be a real turning point where ports can only go in one direction.
And no, it's not a new ball game, otherwise Sega would still be alive. Dreamcast was killed (in part) by the very anticipation of a second playstation. Branding counts, and all Microsoft have proven is that they can spend $500,000,000 in marketing and still only capture 18% of a market with only 3 competitors.
Sure price is a factor, and we'll see its effect, but 360 can't proclaim from the rooftops how cheap it is, particularly with Nintendo covering that base. Nor do we know Sony's real hand. But I will say 9 out of 10 times a hardware company makes hardware more cost effectively than a software company.
Owns @ Apr 18th 2006 7:45PM
Yeah, I'm living under a rock. THE ROCK OF KNOWLEDGE!!
hehe, seriously though...I know nothing has been announced pricewise, i'm using good'ol fashioned common sense (you should try it sometime) and what info they HAVE released. I didn't "convert" anything, this is just a best estimate since Sony is keeping quite (which supports my theory...why not just come out and say PS3 will be $400? Why all the dancing around the pricetag?). It's possible the system could sell for $400-$500, but that seems unlikley due to the included components. Sony would be taking a massive hit. Last I checked, Sony was hurting finacially (which is another reason to up the price). But, hey, I could be wrong Sony fanboys...maybe the PS3 will be $200 and make toast!! Keep hope alive...
Sabre @ Apr 18th 2006 7:54PM
The reason why I jumped on you for saying $600-700 was b/c not too long ago when the 399-499GBP price was thrown around people converted the amount to USD and took it as fact.
Now why aren't they releasing the price? Well for one it is so build up more people wanting the system (Nintendo AND MS do this so it isn't some "sony tactic.")
Owns @ Apr 18th 2006 8:15PM
@elmer
I'm a Nintendo fan as well...they always make solid games, and the DS is awesome. Now on to your post:
I agree that Rockstar jumping ship is unlikley, which wasn't my point. My point was that a 50gb GTA game isn't going to happen, at least not anytime soon. It has been stated in numerous articles that due to new compression schemes and content, games won't get that big for awhile...at least a few years, if that. Since this is the case, my point is that its quite possible the next GTA would be cross-platform compatible.
No doubt the Playstation has a huge head of steam. I wouldn't be surprised if the PS3 sold really well, I just don't think it should be expected. There are a bunch of new factors to take into account...the price, the components, the 360 will have a huge head start, etc.
You lost me on the memory..? Are you talking about System memory or disc space? It looks like you mean disc space, so I'll address that. Oblivion does use a majority of the disc space, but does that mean the 360 can't use multiple DVD's? No...it doesn't. And those who complain that switching out a DVD is a pain in the ass, get over it. Yeah, it sucks real bad to get off your ass and walk 2 feet...oh boo-hoo. I hate to break it to you, but the reason for the lack of ports wasn't just disc size...it was also audience size.
"And no, it's not a new ball game, otherwise Sega would still be alive." I don't understand that logic either...that's exactly why it's a new ballgame. MS is NOT Sega. Even if they come in last place again, they're not going anywhere. MS can afford the loss, can Sony or Nintendo? I'd like to see either of them lose a fraction of the 4 billion MS lost and still be relevant. Even %18 (if that number is correct) of the market is pretty damn good for the first time out, with NO experience in console gaming.
Yes, price will be a factor. I never said the 360 was going to be the cheapest one in the market, just cheaper than the PS3, and I think that will matter since the systems are very similar. I'm not counting the Revolution out either...for all we know, they could surprise us all and be the leader...it looks like they are finally getting their sh*t together.
n_corri @ Apr 18th 2006 10:38PM
#6 is completly right.
At E3 04, they just showed San Andreas in a small room behind closed doors. That's probably exactly what they'll be doing this time around.
Pretty Obvious @ Apr 18th 2006 11:36PM
Dont be suprised if Microsoft does to Take 2 what its done to Lionhead, Rare and Bungie. I heard Take 2 was having some financial problems lately.
A Microsoft buyout would put an end to GTA PS3.....
asymptotic @ Apr 19th 2006 12:25AM
And evil Microsoft can make Oni, since they will own Bungie who made Oni, and Take 2 who owns the rights to Oni.
Eliot Phillips @ Apr 19th 2006 12:55AM
I have to agree about the San Andreas comparison. I don't remember hearing anything significant till July that year (nothing at E3). The timing is right too, 2 years. The only thing that would hold them back is development hardware availability. They know what level they have to take the game engine to next dev hardware or not so I think they can pull it off.
AC @ Apr 19th 2006 5:55PM
Alright once again @ owns, sony is not in any financial troubles WHATSOEVER, they will not take a big hit by selling the console 400-500 (Blu-Ray being the most expensive component)
Blu-Ray is being produced by Sony so thats why its not gonna cost 600-700 (( THE XBOX AND PS2 WERE VALUED @ 600-700 near their launch but they didnt come out for nearly that much)).
I also jumped on you for saying that 600-700 cost (sorry ) THOUGH I do agree with your 50gb GTA statement, I totally agree that no game is going to take up 50gb but it will give developers so much more space to do what they want... .
@ the Microsoft taking TAKE 2
Well this has been a rumor for so long not only for MS but for SONY, both companies know that they can sell more consoles if its even with a 6 month exclusive but i think at the most a 6 month exclusive is inevitable because TAKE-2 has been in deep finanical problems with all the lawsuits being filed against them for the hot coffee