GTA IV DLC on track for November

By Robert Purchese Published 4 September, 2008

Secret source says it's all going to plan.

Sources close to Rockstar North have told Eurogamer that downloadable Grand Theft Auto IV content is on track for a late November release.

Parent company Take-Two previously changed the date from autumn to some time between November 2008 and January 2009 - leaving our stockings at risk of being empty.

The content, which is "absolutely exclusive" to Xbox 360, will be made up of at least two episodes around 10 hours in length, complete with extra unlockable Achievements. Speculation on what form it will take has ranged from additional cities to developed side-missions with brand new stories to unravel. There's been no mention of what all this will cost.

However, the exclusive episodic deal is said to have cost Microsoft around USD 50 million. The company took great trouble to make sure everybody knew about the content in the run up to Grand Theft Auto IV's April release.

Rather a lot of money, considering Grand Theft Auto IV purports to be among the most expensive game created at an estimated total of USD 100 million.

Still, with 10/10 from Eurogamer and over 6 million sales around the world so far, that all seems like money very well spent.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (45) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • viper_h #1 3 years ago

    Looking forward to this. I still bust GTA4 out for a joyride round Liberty City even now.

  • kangarootoo #2 3 years ago

    I didn't finish GTAIV.

    I just. Got. Bored.

    Edit: which I might add, says more about my current gaming habits than GTAIV itself.
    Edited by 1 at 04/09/08 @ 10:58

  • Kiigan #3 3 years ago

    Can't wait!

  • X201 #4 3 years ago

    Is it exclusive?

  • johnnybrn #5 3 years ago

    kangarootoo,

    Its worth finishing as it has a fairly interesting ending.

    And I'm looking forward to seeing how the story progresses from here

  • agparrot #6 3 years ago

    Have only just stopped playing GTAIV on a daily basis - just can't get enough of that Team Mafiya Work, so rather looking forward to this.

    Am still in the throes of deciding how much of the original game to complete - I'd quite like to do the stunt jumps, because, well, I have done them in all the other games, but not sure I can be arsed to scour the city for 200 pigeons, it just isn't my cup of tea.

    Although 400 crash gates in Burnout Paradise didn't seem toooo bad...

  • Ornithophobe #7 3 years ago

    Seems an odd time to release to me, right at the height of the pre christmas deluge. I for one would rather spend my cash on new games than dlc.

  • Olemak #8 3 years ago

    Nothing for me, thanks, I'm all GTA'ed out.

  • Doctor_What #9 3 years ago

    I'm predicting that it involves driving to a location, killing some people, then driving somewhere else. Repeat until the boredom kills you.

  • linksdad #10 3 years ago

    Ditto the bored comments. How long can it take to implement 20-30 more drive to x and kill y missions?

  • NorUraeus #11 3 years ago

    A not so secret source revealed that most gamers do not care about the DLC

  • the_dudefather #12 3 years ago

    if the DLC was jetpacks, go karts, hovercrafts, flamethrowers, parachutes and fighter jets (ie: stuff that was in SA) then I would buy it

    or a Crackdown style 'keys to the city' (without progress destroying bugs)

  • poloman #13 3 years ago

    i agree dude father, that i would buy :)

  • andywilkie35 #14 3 years ago

    I dont care what it is, I'm still gonna get it

  • chris_ace #15 3 years ago

    Post deleted at 11:55:13 13-12-2011

  • Steroyd #16 3 years ago

    Does anyone find it wierd that for something that MS has been pimping a whole year before release... it's now supposedly 2 months before it gets launched and we've heard jack squat about it? o_O

    Why isn't MS more vocal about this, why didn't they try and put it in their E3 conference THE SILENCE IS FREAKING ME OUT.

  • Zomoniac #17 3 years ago

    After I finished the story months ago I didn't touch it for ages. A couple of days ago I was bored and stuck it back on, even though the story's over. Last night I spent 5 hours without even realising it just car delivery jobs, police missions and the like. It's magnificent. I can't wait.

  • sanctusmortis #18 3 years ago

    I might even get a new copy of this when these come out. Got past the bank heist, got bored, traded it.

  • septimus #19 3 years ago

    Anyone now bored of GTA IV (inc multiplayer) and now moved on?

    I can't remember the last time I played it.

  • miiiguel #20 3 years ago

    I don't care at all about the "loud boredom" some/most have, I'll get this. Don't really care what it is. Historical bits & bytes.
    Edited by 1 at 04/09/08 @ 11:47

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #21 3 years ago

    Also well bored of GTA 4 didnt think it was anywhere near as good as san andreas, and feel they removed loads of content that they will now sell back to us in the form of DLC.

    So unless the content is a new city with a new main character it just wont be worth it what ever it is, the story was so poor i cant see how they could turn it round, more driving shooting missions in the same city where ive already done over 90 of em is not going to be new and intersting to be worth it.

    So come on rockstar surprise me with something original please!

  • asphaltcowboy #22 3 years ago

    "So unless the content is a new city with a new main character it just wont be worth it what ever it is"

    lol!

    /hands GamesProgrammer the moon on a stick

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #23 3 years ago

    @asphaltcowboy

    lol thanks for the moon.

    But if Microsoft payed 50M for this content youd expect it to be something a hell of alot more substantial than 9 hours worth of more driving and shooting missions with shit pointless story that will never get to a climax cos then they couldnt sell you more pointless missions.

  • Xedoss #24 3 years ago

    Played it, finished it, never touched it again. Like some mentioned earlier...it just got boring.

    I don't want to search for friggin pigeons or stunt jumps.
    If I want to go to a bar, i'll go with friends that are, you know, not virtual! And certainly not if i'm forced to do so.
    I don't want to date virtual chicks.

    Perhaps with the new DLC i'll remove the layer of dust and play it again. Just as long as it doesn't feauture missions like "find 20 pigeons".

  • mossychops001 #25 3 years ago

    Cool, When is Grand Theft Auto V out?

  • Vice.Destroyer #26 3 years ago

    "But if Microsoft payed 50M for this content youd expect it to be something a hell of alot more substantial than 9 hours worth of more driving and shooting missions with shit pointless story that will never get to a climax cos then they couldnt sell you more pointless missions. "

    +1

    That is exactly what I keep thinking. It's just simple economies of scale, surely. $100m to produce a full retail game. $50m for a 10-hour jaunt? And if it is in Liberty City, somebody got majorly ripped off.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #27 3 years ago

    If the content is everything thats missing that was in san andreas then they should be shot for just blatently holding back what should of been there to begin with.

    Where Are the Ambulance Missions
    Where Are the Firetruck Missions
    Where Are the Mini Pshycho game things( kill 20 peopple with a flamethrower in 30 secs )
    Where are the planes
    Where are the tanks
    Where are the open country side areas leading to new vaired cities
    Where is the RPG element to the game
    Where are the unlockables for collecting the stupid parcels( Pigeons )
    Wheres the intersting story that drives you on ( ok this is a bit of an opinion i suppose, but shared by alot of people i know )

    and im sure you guys can think of other things ive forgot

  • woodnotes #28 3 years ago

    Sames source as this:
    [link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=68768 ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/article.php?art...[/link]
    ?

  • yegon #29 3 years ago

    Everyone moaned about having to eat in SA - didn't bother me, only took a few seconds and you only had to do it it rarely. I find having to socialize with all your chums in IV FAR more irritating!

    Got to about 30% at which point all the old bugbears were apparent - missions with loads of travelling to and from (made easier by taxis, but still), needy mobile phone calls, uber-repetitive missions. Gave up.

    In hindsight, I enjoyed SA a lot more as the whole world seemed a lot more fleshed out.

  • kangarootoo #30 3 years ago

    @johnnybrn

    I've still got my saves, so maybe I'll get back to it one day.

  • GordonCaladan #31 3 years ago

    I just. Got. Bored.

    Same here. Make me think the sites that gave it a 10/10 only played the first few hours.

  • Stormflood #32 3 years ago

    I also have to admit I got bored halfway through, and I'm a big GTA fan. So no DLC for me.

  • agparrot #33 3 years ago

    I agree in part about the vast array of content that was missed out of IV when compared to other iterations.

    I am not sure what people expected, though, with regard to missions regarding driving and shooting? This is Grand Theft Auto, a series based on, well, stealing cars and doing illegal things, often involving shooting people.

    If the choice was mine, I would have perhaps not left out the 'empire building' elements, which I enjoyed in the previous games. Like many have said, the 'friends' are a good idea, but take far too much prominence when the storyline is finished (although turning the phone off helps here).

    But online Team Mafiya Work - a mode dedicated to driving around the city, shooting things, is just like refined, streamlined GTA, and in my opinion the best, most varied gametype with moments of hilarity to be had from facing off against other gangs of tooled up villains in a competitive race to kill, steal or escort stuff in and around Liberty City.

  • space_ace #34 3 years ago

    is it set in 'the old country'? давай!

  • Nevaeh2Die4 #35 3 years ago

    COMIC BOOK GUY VOICE

    "worst game ever"

  • bad09 #36 3 years ago

    Wow I better get a move on I've not finished the game yet! Mind you I overdosed on GTA so I'm giving it a little break :)

  • stepneg #37 3 years ago

    I don't understand the I'm bored comments as to me it was the same as all the GTA games, in other words boring, what did you expect? In fact I thought this one was slightly less boring than San Andreas as that just went on and on and on... If this content includes some more coop missions then I will get it but I don't care much for more single player.

  • jonsaan #38 3 years ago

    Grand MEHft Auto.

  • davc4 #39 3 years ago

    I put grand theft auto away after finishing the story, The game was good not as great as Vice City (the best iteration for me)
    I will most likely to get the DLC and go through and finish it and probably mess about a bit and then put the game away till the next DLC.
    But with the length of time in development of this i hope it is something seriously good.

  • stampax #40 3 years ago

    Will prob pick it up when it comes to the ps3

  • smelly #41 3 years ago

    "I didn't finish GTAIV.

    I just. Got. Bored. "


    Me too!

    Just considered plugging it in now.. but decided i couldnt be arsed.

    .. downloadable content therefor has no interest to me

  • smelly #42 3 years ago

    gta4 was the worst of the series.. im not gonna buy another gta again

  • David_Snakes #43 3 years ago

    Fuck the SA fans who hate this game, GTA 4 was and still is amazing.

  • Ryze #44 3 years ago

    I expect something unusual and astonishing if they expect many to buy.

    Parachutes: maybe - but that brings up the whole 'aircraft in New York' issue.

    I hope we get Staten Island and tanks, plus something else I've not thought of yet...



    Online Co-op.

  • Madder-Max #45 3 years ago

    meh. sounds a bit 'bring down the sky-ish'