Next Grand Theft Auto is San Andreas-bound after all

Following a week of speculation regarding both the full title and release date of Grand Theft Auto 4, it now seems almost certain that the game will be called GTA: San Andreas following the revelation that Take 2 - parent company of GTA developers Rockstar - registered this name just before Christmas.

Interestingly, they also registered trademarks with the US Patent and Trademark Office for both GTA 5 and GTA 6 at the same time which, we hope, indicates that the series will be with us for some time yet.

While a release date for the next GTA - whatever it ends up being called - has still to be confirmed by Rockstar, they did reveal in a financial report last year that it would be out by the autumn. We're currently expecting a late October/early November release.

Finally, we're also waiting for news of what era the game will be set in, following the highly stylised '80s look of Vice City. If the series heads yet further back in time, we're hoping for a grungy 1970s aspect to proceedings, in which the characters are replete with massive sideburns, aviator shades and flares. Retro chic anyone?