Rockstar Games has finally answered assumptions that PlayStation 3 development trouble was the reason behind GTA IV's 2008 delay, admitting that it "definitely" contributed to the slip.

Speaking to MTV's multiplayer blog, Rockstar's Jeronimo Barrera said: "It's really no surprise to anybody that the PS3 was definitely a contributing factor to that." Now though, he says, "We're neck and neck."

"Back then that was something we were taking into account. That's not to say there's anything wrong with the PS3 version. It's awesome. They're both identical."

When it was revealed that GTA wouldn't make its original October 2007 date, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told investors that "technological problems" were the reason behind the slip.

Those techy niggles were widely assumed to be PS3 dev troubles, after a summer of delays plagued multiplatform PS3 releases including Stranglehold, Rainbow Six Vegas and others.

Thankfully, Barrera says it's "not an issue anymore," and an international release date of April 29 has been set for both versions.

Hopefully then, Rockstar will come good and give us a near-identical game on both platforms - something we expect to see much more of in multiplatform releases this year. 

Source: MTV

Courtesy of CVG.

Jan 24, 2008