GTA V to be announced before E3?

By Ellie Gibson Published 5 March, 2010

Analyst reckons suspension is building.

Games industry analyst Mike Hickey has said a Grand Theft Auto V announcement may be on the way - and that it could be made before E3 kicks off in June.

"There is building suspension for a pre-E3 GTA V announcement," he said, as reported by Industrygamers. "Although we expect nothing from Rockstar at this year’s official E3 event."

Rockstar is more likely to hold a separate press event and make the announcement independent of any publisher conferences, apparently. That's because GTA V really is kind of a big deal.

"We think the next iteration of GTA for console can significantly outsell its predecessor," reckoned Hickey. That's the conclusion he reached after "Reflecting on the sales acceleration of the prior cycle GTA console iterations, an accelerating core gamer installed base (with an emphasis on PS3 installed expansion where GTA has historically dominated relatively), and the most talented / motivated development team in the world, in our view." Crumbs.

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About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (42) Latest comment 2 years ago

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

  • NewbieZilla #1 2 years ago

    Hopefully they can make GTA V with less suck.

  • X #2 2 years ago

    I think I now prefer the laughable PR guys within the games companies to this analyst trash now and that's saying something.

    GTA related, hopefully they will take on board the few criticisms levelled at IV to make this one a real treat.

  • bad09 #3 2 years ago

    OMG! OMG! OMG! Vice City (with the rampages back) PLEASE!!!!!

    I suspect you put Vice City FM in Episodes for a reason Rockstar! ;)

  • HermitArcader #4 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:17:39 22-12-2011

  • Octoroc #5 2 years ago

    It won't be GTA V. It'll be GTA IV in a new city. If indeed there's an announcement at all.

  • M4RV #6 2 years ago

    Hopefully they can make GTA V with less suck.

    ^ ^ ^ ^

    You fail. Meanwhile, most of us will still be enjoying the best GTA title to date.

  • MrTeatime #7 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 09:59:18 03-01-2012

  • bad09 #8 2 years ago

    @ M4RV

    To be fair to NewbieZilla, for all the amazing detail 4 wasn't as fun to play as last gens GTAs IMO. Although suck is a bit strong!

  • X3Entente #9 2 years ago

    every time i hear the word "analyst" my brain cells release a collective sigh
    anyway im hoping that the next GTA will be se in the near future, in a bladerunner-esque cyber punk society with flying cars

  • NewbieZilla #10 2 years ago

    Ok, suck was probably a bit strong. It certainly didn't hold my interest in the same way previous GTAs did, though. But, then, I'm the sort of crazy who had great time with The Saboteur. So, yeah, different strokes and all that.

    Edit: @X3

    Such a game would be fantastic. Course, if the soundtrack was bad, it'd just be a fail.
    Edited by 1 at 05/03/10 @ 09:10

  • wizlon #11 2 years ago

    Everyones a damn analyist!!

    /puts on thick black rimmed glasses with no lenses

    I analysis-ise that Nintendo will sell all Mario franchises to SEGA who will create an Uber console powered by greenhouse gasses and target the Chinese market in a bit to outbid Microsofts new Lazerdisk powered hand-held... all before Q3 2015!

  • Golgo #12 2 years ago

    'Suspension' is building? Do we trust the views of a man who has nary a sliver of understanding of Her Majesty's English?

  • M4RV #13 2 years ago

    @bad09:

    Quite honestly, I disagree. I've been playing GTA since the original one was released and even though I'm not sure if it's fair to even mentioned the 2D iterations in this assessment, I still consider ( by far ) the latest instalment the most rewarding.

    I admit that some of the missions may lack the "fun" factor of previous titles, but the sheer scope and detail of the city, the constant batter between characters, the perfectly laden day/night cycle, the radio stations, people picking a cell phone in the middle of the street, whenever I started beating the s**t out of people, as well as other thins, made the experience far more immersive and interesting... It's true some of the features I mentioned were already available previously, but this time, it just feels a lot more real to me, 'cause the sll scenery itself is far more believable.

    Also, Niko is by far the best protagonist these series ever saw and Roman the best sidekick, if you can call it that... CJ was wasted potential, Claude was a... Errrr... I'm not sure what he was, while Vercetti was a total ass, plain and simple. Unlike the other titles in the series, at least IMHO, there's not a single dull moment in this one; Sure it doesn't have the scope of San Andreas, which was a full fledged State, but on the other hand, the experience in IV seems to me alot more focused and cohesive all around... Cause and effect in action, so to speak.

    Still, I must admit that every so often, I miss listening to You've got another thing coming by JP, while roaming Vice City in a motorcyle. Epic... :))

  • Widge #14 2 years ago

    I would love them to do something "state" sized like San Andreas... but they are unlikely be able to fit that onto one DVD. With the game being multiplatform nowadays, this is the constraint they will have to work to scale wise.

    Hopefully they can pick up Naughty Dog's streaming technology for when they do the PS3 one!

    No slapstick shit in this please, leave that in Saints Row.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #15 2 years ago

    Nico was a tedious, morose prick. At least in Johnny Klebitz, though, they had a guy who took some pleasure in running his minor criminal empire. Nihilism and angst are not what I want in a GTA protagonist.

  • space_ace #16 2 years ago

    @Golgo - "suspension" was a wordplay with the "auto" part of "gta"

  • M4RV #17 2 years ago

    @Widge:

    I fail to understand why people insist on the idea that Blu-ray is a huge advantage, development wise, when games, over and over again, have already established it's main advantages. Also, trying to establish a comparison beetween a free-roaming title and a linear one... That hardly makes any sense at all.

    EDIT:

    You could have mentioned InFamous, but on the other hand, when compared with GTA IV, from a technical standpoint, it doesn't even come close.
    Edited by 1 at 05/03/10 @ 09:33

  • kingheff1 #18 2 years ago

    I hope that, if, they convert it to the pc it's a hell of a lot better, I just un-installed GTA IV from my pc due to it being probably the most buggy and crash ridden pile of junk I've seen in recent years, truly, truly awful job.
    Edited by 1 at 05/03/10 @ 09:54

  • OllyJ #19 2 years ago

    I used to love GTA, but I really don't feel I can get excited again, I'm STILL at the Four Leaf Clover mission, and I haven't the stomach to have another attempt.

    And the annoying thing is, I thing Gay Tony and Lost and damned look great. But GTAIV really dampened my love for GTA :(

  • Widge #20 2 years ago

    Well, it'd be interesting to hear how GTA4 breaks down size wize, could they have actually crammed more real estate into the medium or would there have to be sacrifices made somewhere if the size was to increase. There are a few comments about this popping up from devs depending on how suspicious you are of the likes of Capcom and their motives, but I believe iD also made a choice to change Rage due to the constraints of the medium. PC's are alright for DVDs as they can pack the data in tight and then unload it to the HDD.

    Be interesting to hear how GTA:SA compared to GTA3 disc space wise. Maybe they could make compromises to the detail to allocate a larger play area. I wouldn't actually mind really, because at the end of the day, if they deliver it, I'd be happy.

    As for the linear mention, that was only because I heard that Naughty Dog released their code for streaming for others to use... can only be a benefit for games that stream constantly. Fond memories of invisible roads on GTA:SA!

  • kully #21 2 years ago

    Suspension or suspence?

  • weejok #22 2 years ago

    I wish I was an "analyst", those guys get paid for just saying stuff ;-)

  • mkreku #23 2 years ago

    Oohh.. Let's hope they bring back that awesome car sales thingie from Vice City.. and the packages from Vice City (with rewards for every tenth package found, not ONE reward for all 200 pigeons shot), more races, more hidden stuff.. and preferably the size of San Andreas!

    I wonder how many wishes of mine that'll come through though :/

  • bad09 #24 2 years ago

    @ M4RV

    I agree with all that (although I can't agree Tommy was a pain in the arse, but then I'm a serious VC fanboy!). I think the main problem many had with 4 was with all the immersion there was very little to actually do that was fun outside of the story, sure we all knew that was the direction Rockstar was taking but it really took away a big chunk of the appeal out of GTA. Bowling? Drink driving? Darts? No replacement for searching out the various rampages! The story missions themselves were good but very samey throughout and on the whole it was kinda a step back to GTA3, after VC and SA that was a dissapointment.

    Admittedly they did rectify that to an extent with the episodes and don't get me wrong 4 is an amazing game and they improved a great deal of things, it's just the mission structure and focus on story made it not as amazing to play as previous games IMO.
    Edited by 1 at 05/03/10 @ 10:17

  • schnide #25 2 years ago

    Seriously, stop using these 'analysts'. All it's doing is using their claims, which don't have to be backed up by anyone but their company at the end of the day, and getting you off the hook from doing some real journalism yourselves.

  • AgentBalti #26 2 years ago

    Cars you can actually drive for the win, methinks.

  • Golgo #27 2 years ago

    @ Space Ace: eh? doubt it...

  • chiz #28 2 years ago

    @spogges

    Me either. I thought GTA V was superb. The DLC was great too. Saying that, I found that The Lost and Damed was a better game than the actual released game. Was just a shame it was too quick to finish.

  • Murton #29 2 years ago

    Improve the engine a little to give better performance, get rid of the whole "friends/dates" element to the game and go back to the great soundtrack choices offered by Vice and San An: V Rock and K-DST were pure win, GTA4 had quite a poor soundtrack resulting in me listening to Lazlow (due to their not being a custom music option on PS3)

    Other than that the only real criticisms of GTA4 I'd like to see addressed are the flakey multiplayer which needs either vast improvements or ditching altogether, and the platform exclusive expansion packs, something which I feel should never happen with any multiplatform game.

  • Monkey_Puncher #30 2 years ago

    Analysts are full of shit, if it were up to analysts we'd have HD Wii by now.

  • Moribundman #31 2 years ago

    SUSPENSE is building EG. SUSPENSE.

    Employ some literate jounalists or a proof reader.

  • Spekingur #32 2 years ago

    Give us Vegas. That's what everyone else is doing (well, Fallout).

    Just as long as the whole annoying social part from GTA IV is out for the most part. Don't mind it for some hot coffee.

    Edit: Did they ever do a CSI spoof in GTA IV?
    Edited by 1 at 05/03/10 @ 12:25

  • jefranklin18 #33 2 years ago

    Hopfully they will bring back some of the humour that I found lacking in GTA4. I have been disappointed since GTA3 onwards that I could never find any Hari Krishners.

    Edit: spelling
    Edited by 1 at 05/03/10 @ 13:22

  • CaptainQuint #34 2 years ago

    I might consider getting the next game if they fix the SHIT controls and handling which have plagued every GTA game since day one. Never did understand why the reviews always gave them a pass, in that regard.

  • Caimbeul #35 2 years ago

    I highly doubt they will anounce GTA V but i could be wrong. Either way they had better do something about the shoddy graphics engine and not bugger up the PC version again by needing 50 CPU's, a petabyte of DDR10 and 1,000 of the latest GPU's to get a good frame rate with everything amxed

  • geeza2020 #36 2 years ago

    I have to agree with some people here, in that GTA4 was an amazing game, technically at least, but the ridiculousness (is that a word?) of the previous games seemed to have been lost. the one thing i really miss, is that little sound bite: "KIIIIIIIIILLLL FRENZY!!!!!" Genius.

  • Johnhost #37 2 years ago

    My wife made me sell GTA IV. She didn't like the idea of Serbian immigrants shooting people and then going to "titty bars"

  • DrStrangelove #38 2 years ago

    "You fail. Meanwhile, most of us will still be enjoying the best GTA title to date."

    Sadly, I gave San Andreas away along with my PS2.

    *I need dat shit you drive!*

  • gjgjg #39 2 years ago

    cumon gta 5, greater manchester

  • MrE26 #40 2 years ago

    I absolutely loved GTA IV, great story, great characters & an amazing gameworld. The only problem was, compared to the earlier games, outside of the actual storyline there wasn't a whole lot to do.

  • reeferchief #41 2 years ago

    @johnhost: Your wifes thumb.
    You.

    I enjoyed number 4, looking forward to episodes at the end of this month and then Red Dead Redemption next month, LA Noire and Agent whenever, I think they should focus on what they're brewing and then announce GTA V, a lot closer to when it's actually ready, rather than announce it, then delay it a few times.
    Edited by 1 at 08/03/10 @ 06:13

  • funkmastergriff #42 2 years ago

    I liked gta iv , but it could've been a bit more varied on missions like DLC gay tony. running along the top of a moving train whilest shooting helicoptors, having a dance off at your night club ect....

    Also the way the storeys criss crossed over was an interesting idea that i hope will be made more of.

    being able to personalise the game within the storey would be a big plus next time round.

    here's hoping
    Edited by 4 at 29/03/10 @ 16:42