'Grand Theft Auto 5' Release Date Shift? Looking To Make The Jump To Next-Gen Consoles?

Rumors come via Tapscape, that the game might not even launch for current-gen consoles, instead making the jump to the next iteration of Microsoft's Xbox or Sony's Playstation. Over the past few weeks, Rockstar Games has teased fans with various images related to the latest entry in the long-running crime saga, "Grand Theft Auto." The images, depicting various locations and vehicles, have popped up on Kotaku and other sites, as well. This has all led to tremendous fervor among fans who are anxiously awaiting the new title, "Grand Theft Auto 5."

Computer and Video Games reported that developers from 2K Czech had been brought on back in March to assist in getting "Grand Theft Auto 5" ready for the public, however; Tapscape points out this may have been to have them handle the vehicle models as well as cut scenes. Should this be the case, this could point to "Grand Theft Auto 5" aiming to launch with new consoles, as opposed to the current-gen Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Yahoo Games repoted back in June that Rockstar was disappointed in the sales of its most recent release, "Max Payne 3." Should they choose to continue working on "Grand Theft Auto 5" and get it ready for the next batch of consoles, Rockstar would be in a bit of a hole should the surefire success of the new game be pushed to a 2013 release.

Take-Two Interactive (parent company of both 2K and Rockstar) also delayed the release of "Bioshock Infinite," a first-person shooter originally scheduled for release this coming fall. Computer and Video Games speculates that this move was meant to provide an open release window for "Grand Theft Auto 5," so the open-world crime game would dominate the marketplace. With fans eagerly awaiting both titles, pushing "Grand Theft Auto 5" to next year would free up that fall release window for Take-Two, who could certainly benefit from the success of a new "Bioshock" title.

At the time, game industry expert Michael Pachter said "It's entirely possible that the Rockstar team just committed to delivering 'GTA V' on October 23, and Take-Two management thought it imprudent to launch their two biggest games of the year a week apart. I'm sure Irrational (developers of the 'Bioshock' series) will make judicious use of the extra time, if the foregoing scenario is true."

EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich stated (via Gather) "A Christmas release is probably out of the realm of possibility at this point. Competitors have already placed their stake in the ground and while 'GTA V' has no direct competitor, the combination of 2 to 4 great Action and Shooter titles this season could produce problems for a 'GTA' holiday release."

"Grand Theft Auto 5" is an upcoming open-world crime game set in the California-inspired location of San Andreas and is developed by Rockstar Games. Story details are scarce, however; themes of economic difficulty have been intimated by the teaser trailer, which can be seen below.