Take 2: Grand Theft Auto IV delay cause 'almost strictly technological challenges'

by Justin McElroy { Aug 2nd 2007 at 6:15PM }

Take 2 said that the decision to delay almost-sure-to-be-a-mega-hit Grand Theft Auto IV into the second fiscal quarter of 2008 was recent, having just been made today with Rockstar after reviewing a build of the game yesterday. Saying in a conference call today that they didn't think it was "helpful or beneficial" to go in to specifics, Take 2 declined to say the exact issues behind the delays, though they did say that it was "almost strictly technological challenges." They emphasized that they're highly confident that the delay will be enough time to bring the game up to snuff and that consumers and investors would "agree that the end result was worth the wait."

Chairman Strauss Zelnick pointed out that the install base for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 should be significantly larger by Q2 of FY 2008, though they insist that didn't have a bearing on their decision. One company spokesperson admitted that other publishers may be happy to see GTA IV moved out of the holiday season, saying, "I think for the industry it's not necessarily the worst thing in the world ... just to be perfectly candid."

Also, it was mentioned that Manhunt 2 isn't listed for release next year, but Take 2 says that's more cautionary due to the game's ratings issues rather than an insinuation that the game won't make 2008.

Tags: grandtheftautoiv, gtaiv, GTAIVDelay, rockstar, take2

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Adam @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:45PM

Alright, time for every Playstation fanboy to scream at the top of their lungs "TEH DVD9 AND 360S FAULT!"

Hey Apples @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:24PM

Specfics may not be "helpful or beneficial" but they sure are juicy to read! Boo, hiss!

Mark @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:26PM

"technological issues"? Me thinks it's the horrible slowdown that I've heard about from all the hands on previews.

pete @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:26PM

Anyone else suspect this is because of the "hard-to-develop for" PSTriple?

/HUGE EXASPERATED SIGH/

marcandrer @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:28PM

I highly doubt that since they already stated before they had trouble cause not every xbox had a harddrive to cache data. Pretty sure it's the same thing once again.

pete @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:28PM

And before I'm attacked, from another board:

"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."

This should likely be read as we don't know how to program for the PS3, and we're going to delay both versions so we don't screw Sony completely.

BNinjaC @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:41PM

hey pete,

Proof please! You know links etc

If not then try and be a little objective and less fanboyish.

Who am I kidding? It's Joystiq! Lets flame! ;)

Patrick @ Aug 2nd 2007 8:15PM

i dunno, it is just a massive game and i think they were just to ambitious with it to get it out october

severian00 @ Aug 2nd 2007 9:21PM

I agree with you Pete. The PS3 is notorious at this point in needing extra time to make the titles work:

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/05/21/ps3s-ghost-recon-advanced-warfighter-2-delayed-again/

Not to mention 1st party games

http://www.joystiq.com/2007/08/01/lair-not-done-delayed-until-september-4/

And those are just two examples. Motorstorm, Rainbow 6 Vegas, Oblivion and others have all missed their initial launch dates on the PS3.

Neebs @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:28PM

inb4 both:
Cell is too complex!
DVD9 is too small!

Anonim @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:59PM

And RSX is too weak.
Thanks good for dalay - maybe framerate on PS3 will be equal to X360 not half of it.
Doh.

Neebs @ Aug 2nd 2007 7:15PM

Actually, the R580 the Xbox 360 uses and the RSX (a 7800GTX) are about even in performance. Try again though.

Ian Von Porter @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:28PM

They will either give up on the 360 version or require the HDD.. stupid MS.

Dave @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:35PM

Why would they give up on the next-gen version with the larger install base?

felixlighter @ Aug 2nd 2007 7:04PM

They've been showing the game to the press on the Xbox 360. If PS3 development was coming along so smoothly they'd be showing it on that platform. Nothing in this article even hints at what platform is causing headaches.

Pointing fingers at either console is just stupid because we no nothing and it won't make the game come out any sooner. These comments are sure to be filled with meaningless uninformed fanboy venom, resulting in us all becoming dumber having read them.

sheppy @ Aug 2nd 2007 8:23PM

Personally, I thought it was madness to expect a game that was unveiled this year to ship this year. I mean, hell, Saints Row had tragically horrid framerates each time it was shown and as it finally came home, only during the last two months was it consistant enough to be playable.

People just need to realize games are complex to make, Fuck all this 360 vs. PS3 shit, a video game is very difficult to craft well.

Burnt Meatloaf @ Aug 3rd 2007 6:10AM

It's only difficult to craft a game well if your priorities are wrong from the start.

I remember Sega developers complaining the Dreamcast wasn't powerful enough and they couldn't get 60fps out of it. Developers are still complaining, even though the systems are clocked so fast they warp their own motherboards. Oh, we don't have a hard drive standard! Boo hoo! Ten years from now, they will still complain the hardware isn't powerful enough. Then, they will complain that making games is too expensive.

Meanwhile, bugs still multiply exponentially.

I just want to slap these developers so hard... with an Omniwrench(tm).

Tom @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:34PM

Neebs is right- both systems have problems that caused the delay:

-the dvd9's limited space and
-the complex PS3.

and i also think they will say the HDD is required for the 360 version.

Djuan @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:37PM

Trying to figure out which version wasn't the fastest/best doesn't help anyone...

Any way, I'll likely play a bunch of games I otherwise wouldn't have due to GTA IV being delayed, so I'm not terribly affected either way.

Djuan @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:41PM

I hate to double-post, but does anyone know how to edit profile pics?

YoRone22 @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:45PM

Click your name in a post, then log in and upload a picture. :)

Anam @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:47PM

Yeah, click on your name and it will bring up your profile (you'll have to enter your password), then you can change your password, name, and upload a profile picture.

And don't worry about double posting, I do it on almost every thread that I choose to grace with my presence.

Djuan @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:49PM

It says "No Profile Found" :(.

Apparently, I don't exist!

J-Guy @ Aug 2nd 2007 9:42PM

Sorry to jump into your conversation, but what file type & size do you need for profile pictures?

Hiro of Time @ Aug 2nd 2007 8:08PM

so basically its taking too long to get it working on PS3 as well as 360, for which it was developed first.

I'm not a Sony hater or a fanboy, but this does suck something rotten. I was really looking forward to GTA4 this year, now I've gotta wait till next year, theres only really Call of Duty 4 to look forward to really as Halo 3 is Halo 1.6 (halo 2 + hi-res graphics with the same levels copy and pasted over and over to make it seem longer).

Roland @ Aug 2nd 2007 11:25PM

I was going to lower your stars but I like Heroes!

Word of the street. @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:42PM

So if someone says the game is retarded can I answer "No,is not retarded just Technologically challenged"?.

Anam @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:44PM

"Almost strictly technological challenges"

=

"Not strictly technological challenges"

=

"Definately something non-technological that's causing challenges"

=

"We're busy Thompson-proofing it"

Mr Khan @ Aug 2nd 2007 7:21PM

You're forgetting the cease-and-desist order against Thompson, or did that apply only to one specific game?

AaronMD @ Aug 2nd 2007 7:00PM

I think its a blow to the industry. If it had been released on schedule, I think that it would have single-handedly moved more 360s and PS3s than any other game over the holidays. I wounder if a down-port to the Wii could be part of delay. They have mentioned a desire to make more games for the Wii...

Mr Khan @ Aug 2nd 2007 7:19PM

It would be more economical to port one or more of the PS2 titles up with added visuals/controls and whatnot to Wii, or to make an original Wii build

Well, this clarifies a lot of the speculation, but opens the fanboy wars up wide

Spongie @ Aug 2nd 2007 9:09PM

I wounder if a down-port to the Wii could be part of delay.

Hahaha yeah dream on...

Brian manning @ Aug 2nd 2007 6:47PM

Somone had a GTA4 tattoo and told us it was gonna be here in october

AlexP @ Aug 2nd 2007 7:29PM

And that someone doesn't work for Massivesoft anymore.

Microsoft's holiday 'strategy' just collapsed because Rockstar can't deliver.

AJ @ Aug 2nd 2007 7:04PM

Alright, time for every Xbox fanboy to scream at the top of their lungs "TEH C3ll AND ps3's FAULT!"

i can make fanboy comments too

Knoxximus @ Aug 2nd 2007 7:21PM

Sounds to me like somebody just *narrowly* dodged the a bullet.

'almost strictly technological challenges'= 'We're scared SHITLESS of going up against Halo 3 this holiday.'

luke @ Aug 2nd 2007 8:05PM

I don't agree. According to a figure most recently quoted in OPS Australia the GTA series has moved 60 million units since GTAIII.
Has the Halo series sold half as many?
There could be any number of hidden reasons we're not being told relating to development problems for PS3 and Xbox 360, but Halo?
I think you're having yourself on if you think Halo is the reason.

Spartacus @ Aug 2nd 2007 8:36PM

Actually, GTA has only sold more than Halo because it has had far more games in the series. To compare the franchises fairly, you'd have to total their sales, then divide that by the number of titles in the series:

GTA Series:
Copies Sold = roughly 22 million
Number of games = 8
Average # of copies sold per title = 2.75 million

Halo Series:
Copies Sold = roughly 14 million
Number of games = 2
Average # of copies sold per title = 7 million

Even if that info is correct on GTA selling over 60 million copies is accurate (which doesn't seem too likely considering the numbers I'm quoting here are only a little over a year old), 60/8 = 7.5 million average, which is only SLIGHTLY better than Halo.

In truth Halo is a force to be reconed with and no developer should underestimate it, Take Two included.

Sources:
http://www.joystiq.com/2006/02/28/mario-madden-gta-dominate-gaming-franchises/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_(series)

BNinjaC @ Aug 2nd 2007 9:17PM

@ Spartacus

PS2 combined sales figures for GTAIII, VC, SA

= 40.68 million sales

Take any two together and they beat Halo sales.

Get your facts right before you spew fanboyism for crying out loud

Here are some up-to-date links for ya;
http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=3427
http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=896
http://www.vgchartz.com/games/game.php?id=891

Spartacus @ Aug 2nd 2007 11:38PM

BNinjaC:

Do you try to be a dick head or is this just your natural demeanor? I wasn't "spewing fanboyism", I looked at numbers posted on this very website, used logic and math and concluded that GTA, while a great selling series, is not impervious to competition. I apologize if I didn't look up every website that posts sales stats before posting here, apparently I'm a retarded or "technologically challenged" fanboy, despite the fact that I acknowledged that the numbers could be off and that GTA could average more sales per title than Halo. However I was using EVERY title in the series, not just the top three best selling ones, which will obviously skew the results. I did not say GTA sucked or that Halo is the best game in the universe, I simply countered an arguement that completely downplayed the popularity of Halo. What the heck is your problem?

BNinjaC @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:34AM

@ Spartacus

"apparently I'm a retarded or "technologically challenged" fanboy"

I didn't call you "technologically challenged", indeed, I didn't imply it either. Why oh why would you put quotations on that phrase?

"I apologize if I didn't look up every website that posts sales stats before posting here"

your apology is accepted ;)

"I did not say GTA sucked or that Halo is the best game in the universe"

No you didn't and I never said you did.

"What the heck is your problem?"

I don't have a problem with you, your post however was ill informed and I just picked you up on it. No need to get defensive.

"Do you try to be a dick head or is this just your natural demeanor?"

You really feel the need to start calling names? It's the internet ffs, why get so worked up about something so trivial?

take it easy and chill out

Korova @ Aug 3rd 2007 2:54AM

ninja, spartacus,

resist.

On the topic, I think it a good think GTA is delayed. The fall was way too crowded with great games. 2008 need some loving too.

Think of all the sore thumbs that have been saved by this move. Very smart on Take2's part. It will probably sell even faster. (Gift card redemption, remember)

Spartacus @ Aug 3rd 2007 12:41PM

BNinjaC:

As I replied in the post about the Xbox power cord, last night I was sleep deprived and cranky, so I do apologize about my irritability.

I realize the source I cited was apparently off in numbers, I was just annoyed that for actually looking up stats and thinking logically I got labelled a fanboy. Because truth be told, while I like Halo, it is not my favorite series by a long shot.

I put technologically challenged in quotations because a post before me had made a joke regarding this article's title, not because you had said anything about me being retarded.

The whole point of my post was that Halo is a very well selling series- on par with GTA in several respects. It would be safe to say the first two Halo games sold more than the first two GTA games as it wasn't until GTA III that the series really took off, so my point still stands, which doesn't make me a fanboy or either game or any system they came out on.

Thank you for the chill pills, they had a lovely cherry flavor.

razer @ Aug 2nd 2007 8:22PM

LOL! Microsofts "perfect storm" of gaming this holiday is turning into a slight drizzle...

It's still early in August, I wonder what else is going to get delayed?

Everybody chant with me. HAY LOW 3 - HAY LOW 3

lol.. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket.. MS just has a knack for shooting itself in the foot. $50 million well spent! Good ol' E3 "we want to focus in on games that gamers will be playing NOW, this YEAR" blah, blah, blah.. These dev companies are making you look like fools MS.

severian00 @ Aug 2nd 2007 10:09PM

Talk about fanboyism. What did Sony show this year that is coming out this year? Lair (Delayed), Uncharted, Heavenly Sword as well as all the same 3rd party titles MS showed. MS showed Halo 3, PGR3, and Mass Effect. Of the 3 games on each platform, which one is going to still be played by millions of people in 3 yrs? Halo 2 was still the number 1 played game on Live until Gears came out.

MS will do fine without GTA for christmas as far as I'm concerned. Hell, I'm even stoked that I will be able to actually spend some time playing games like Army of 2, Bioshock, Mass Effect, Halo 3, Orange Box (mainly for Team Fortress), and COD 4. I work 50 hrs a week and I was looking at that lineup and seriously feared for my relationship with my son and wife.

dsub @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:54AM

Your making yourself look like a fool.

That's all that needs to be said.

Korova @ Aug 3rd 2007 1:04PM

Whom does this hurt more, MS or Sony?

MS has Halo coming before the holidays.

I actually dont know this, but does PS3 have any Halo-equivalent exclusive coming out for the holiday?

If PS3 does not, GTA would have been a VERY important game for Sony. Not only did MS take away Sony's exclusivity to GTA, it also moved it past the holiday console-moving window.

Somehow I think that 50 mln had something to do with it. Somehow, I think there are some very pale faces at Sony's PS3 division right now. Somehow I think, there might be a antitrust lawsuit coming against MS, Take 2. Damages, damages all around.

360 FTW