Anilrgowda

So the next Grand Theft Auto game, GTA IV, has been delayed from its original release date of this fall. That's a major blow to the industry that was hoping for a "perfect storm" of blockbuster releases including this game as well as Madden 08 and Halo 3.
Why the hiccup? Analyst Michael Pachter suggests that PS3 hardware may be to blame. GTAIV was planned for a simultaneous release on the Xbox 360 and Sony's system. Microsoft had recently paid $50 million to release exclusive episodic GTAIV content. Pachter intimates that Rockstar, developers of the game, hit a snag with the PS3 version - and, as a result, had to put the entire plan on hold.

GTA is already in danger of losing its cultural relevance; quirky, out-of-the-box titles from LittleBigPlanet to Spore to Wii Fit now generate much of the ink. The delays won't help.

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