Ben-DutkaThe news that Grand Theft Auto IV was being delayed until 2008 hit the video game world like a meteor. Obviously, one of the first questions everyone asks when such a delay occurs is, "why?" Well, during a conference call with investors, one Take-Two executive did a little explaining.
Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick said the decision to push GTA IV back to Q2 2008 was based on "almost strictly technological problems… not problems, but challenges." Zelnick also wanted to make it clear that they intend to hit their new release date; that the company is "highly confident" the game would hit store shelves during the Q2 release window. And of course, because the console is multiplatform, Zelnick was asked if either the PS3 or Xbox 360 was the direct cause of the delay; if the hardware posed serious problems. We didn't really get an answer to that, but Zelnick's reply was as follows:
"I know there have been rumors in the marketplace about frame rate and some other issues. We don't think it's helpful or beneficial to go into exact details of what the technological issues are. We're pushing the envelope on both the platforms."
Zelnick had the "final say" on delaying the game, but he also said it wasn't an easy decision (yeah, no kidding). Quite simply, he reviewed Rockstar's progress on their most recent build of GTA IV, and came to the conclusion there was "no way" Take-Two could release the game on October 16. Like we said in the other article, if the team needs more time, they should certainly have it. A delay is bad news, but a final production that falls well shy of everyone's expectations would be an absolute travesty.
Related Game(s): Grand Theft Auto IV