Analyst: New Grand Theft Auto In Development

A new Grand Theft Auto game will be coming next year, reports industry analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities.

Pachter's latest reports say that Take-Two has been developing a new title in the series - not an expansion - for over a year and that the publisher plans to release the game next year or possibly 2011 at the latest.

"Management declined to state when the game will launch, but has confirmed to us that the game is in development, has been for over a year, and is using the same game "engines" as the last version," Pachter wrote.

"Management also told us that the team at Rockstar North is highly motivated to get the game out, and that the team understands that its highest payday will come from working on GTA instead of any other game. When we do the simple math, we conclude that the next installment is likely to be completed by some time in 2010, although given the frequency of game delays, it is not clear that it will necessarily come before October 31, 2010."

"However, it is clear to us that the next version of GTA will arrive before the end of [Fiscal Year 2011]," he added.

A representative for Rockstar Games declined to speak on Pachter's report, citing the company's policy to not comment on speculation and rumors, which includes analyst reports such as this.

http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/100/1003589p1.html