E3 2002: Sony gets Grand Theft Auto exclusive

Sony Computer Entertainment America and Take-Two Interactive have announced an exclusive deal for the Grand Theft Auto franchise. Under terms of the agreement, Grand Theft Auto III and future installments in the series released before October 2004 will be released only on the Sony PlayStation 2 video game platform. This deal follows the recent release of Grand Theft Auto III for the PC, and a Take-Two representative confirmed that the deal with Sony will not affect the future availibility of Grand Theft Auto releases for the PC platform. The representative also confirmed that DMA Design, the Scotland-based developer for the Grand Theft Auto series, is henceforth known as Rockstar North.

Grand Theft Auto III was released for the PlayStation 2 last October and became the best-selling video game of 2001. The game also won numerous awards, including GameSpot's Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, a follow-up to the game scheduled for release on the PlayStation 2 this fall.