GTA IV Delay Rumoured 31
This past weekend Gamespot did a Rumor Control article on the possibility of a delay in GTA IV's release. Michael Pachter, of Wedbush Morgan Securities, predicted that the Take-Two board shakeup would result in some game cancellations and (in GTA's case) some delays. The article points out that the rumour is as-yet unconfirmed. The company has gone on record as saying, that the game would still release in October (the expected launch month), but that doesn't necessarily rule out Pachter's scenario. "'We believe that it is possible that the company will choose to 'throw in the towel' on [its 2007 financial year] by shifting the release date for Grand Theft Auto IV by a few weeks, increasing the losses incurred this year and improving the company's prospects for FY:08.' Take-Two's financial year ends on October 31, 2007. Pachter gave another rationale for a GTA IV delay: namely, that moving it to early November would put more space between GTA IV and Halo 3, which is arriving September 25. 'We believe that a two-week delay would provide a reasonable gap between the launch of Halo 3 and the launch of GTA IV, and would actually help sales of both games,' he said."
We at the new take two board would like to explain (Score:2, Funny)
We must delay to add more pointless sex, blood, violence and gore. Please be patient
[Disclaimer: this post is not by the Take 2 board, or anyone affiliated, and is meant only in joke, satyre, and hopes that reality pans out to be like this]
GTA4 on PC? (Score:1, Insightful)
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Has it ever NOT happened? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Original GTA games (as opposed to ports) are never delayed. And I only make the "port" caveat because I do recall GTA for the GBA being delayed, and I'm not sure about the PS2 releases of the PSP games.
But Rockstar takes a lot of pride in being one publisher that does *not* delay major releases once a release date has been announced.
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Helping Halo3? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Helping Halo3? (Score:4, Insightful)
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From a PS3 standpoint there is Heavnly sword, WarHawk, Rachet & Clank & the possibility of Tekken 6
Not to mention that Skate & Assassin's Creed will be coming out on both systems in September too.
But once you get to september your entering Christmas present territory anyway, surely when you release in the last six months only effects your first week sales anyway. If people want both Halo 3 and GTAIV or any of the other ga
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Noooooooo! (Score:2, Insightful)
Not gonna happen (Score:5, Interesting)
Pachter doesn't know how Rockstar thinks (and I'm making the distinction between Rockstar and Take 2, because while they are the same company really, the decision-making between each is handled differently). First of all, there's no chance whatsoever of them delaying a game because of the competition. None. Because they don't think they have any competition. They think of GTA as the #1 game series in the world (and I'm not sure if that's true, but it may be over the last 7 or 8 years). If anything, they're wondering if Bungie is going to delay Halo 3 because of GTAIV, not the other way around.
Second, they don't delay games because they're not ready. Never happens. They're one of those game companies that work their developers to the bone to make milestones. This is completely different from Take 2 - we all know about the DNF saga. Rockstar doesn't operate that way. They pride themselves on discipline, and they will work 20 hour days for six months straight if that's what it takes to release a game on time.
The only *possible* reason they would ever delay a game was to move it into another fiscal quarter. I think they actually did that with one game while I was there... maybe Max Payne 2. I don't remember exactly. But never a numbered GTA game. They would never spend millions promoting a release date and then change it. They've considered all the fiscal considerations long ago, before setting that date.
Note that there's also a difference between "delaying" a game that never had a release date (like The Warriors, which came out about 2 years later than original internal schedules had it) and delaying a game that does have an announced release date. Rockstar thinks of themselves as above doing the latter, and they also just consider it suicidal in terms of publicity and eventual sales. To them, delaying a game 2 weeks in October just means 2 fewer weeks worth of Christmas season sales, not to mention garnering them an air of incompetence and generating questions among the public about the game's state of readiness.
I have been wrong once or twice in my life, but I will seriously cook and eat the Rockstar shirt that I'm currently wearing if they delay GTAIV. There would have had to have been a complete sea change in attitude at Rockstar since I left for that to ever happen, and I know the people who are still there from when I was there - and the real decision makers at Rockstar are among them. It would take direct involvement from the Zelnick to delay GTAIV, and even then it would be strenuously argued against, literally to the point of threats and near-violence. I have seen it happen before - there are reasons why Take 2's CEO churn rate is so high that go beyond simple fiscal issues.
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Name one title they've even patched post-release aside from the Hot Coffee fiasco.
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Second, they don't delay games because they're not ready. Never happens. They're one of those game companies that work their developers to the bone to make milestones. This is completely different from Take 2 - we all know about the DNF saga. Rockstar doesn't operate that way. They pride themselves on discipline, and they will work 20 hour days for six months straight if that's what it takes to release a game on time.
Sounds like a perfect recipe for causing delays. Overtired developers introduce bugs
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Okay (Score:3, Insightful)
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yst?
GTA IV? (Score:2)
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