Next Grand Theft Auto due Q4 2004

As they watched the credits roll at the end of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, most gamers had one question on their minds: "When is the next one coming out?!"

That question was answered this morning at the 20th Annual Technology Conference in New York City by Cindi Buckwalter, executive vice president of Take-Two Interactive, parent company of Vice City publisher Rockstar Games. As part of a presentation on Take-Two's 2004 business plan (broadcast on the Web), Buckwalter confirmed that the next Grand Theft Auto is slated for Q4 2004. "In the back half of '04, Q4," she said, "we have targeted Grand Theft Auto 5 or the next version of Grand Theft Auto."

Unsurprisingly, Buckwalter was mum when it came to the next game's subject matter, although Las Vegas- and Los Angeles-inspired scenarios have been rumored. "It has not been named," she stated. Her copresenter, Take-Two CFO Karl Winters, was similarly cautious, saying, "I want to be prudent about our comments. We're very excited about the brand. We're excited about it. We're giving it a breather in the marketplace, and we think that it will all come together for us next year."

However, Winters was optimistic about the game's chances. "The mountain top is continually higher," said Winters. "We had a lot of questions about how we could possibly create something that could compete with Grand Theft Auto 3. None of us who were sitting here a year ago would have suggested we would have the type of success we had with Vice City."