'GTA V' PC Release Date Rumored In March, How Will Rockstar Respond?

“GTA V” may be coming to the PC sometime in the near future. Though Rockstar Games hasn’t made any official announcements, leaked footage of the game may have appeared online this past week. User warrockteam1 posted the clip, claiming it showed gameplay from a PC version of “GTA V.” The video was quickly removed, with YouTube claiming copyright infringement from NYC-based Take-Two Interactive, the publisher which owns Rockstar.

While some users suspected the clip was fake, others wondered if the gameplay could be an early version of a PC edition of “Grand Theft Auto V.” Thiago Diniz, CEO of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil-based electronic distributor Nuuvem, confirmed that the title was coming to the PC in March. "I see no problem talking. I think until now been confirmed. Is scheduled for March on PC, if I'm not mistaken, for the 12th," he said to Brazilian web site Condigo Fonte.

An additional “GTA V” PC rumor began when a retailer in Norway stated that the game would be released on March 18 this year and was already available for pre-order. The same launch date was mentioned by an Amazon rep, who promised Rockstar would make an announcement by the end of 2013. When the game developer remained tight-lipped, many fans began to doubt the rumored launch date.

Demand to bring the game to PCs is high. Recently, a petition to make the title available to PC gamers garnered more than 650,000 signatures. Mike Julliard, who created the petition, is hoping to eventually reach 1 million signatures.

He felt that “'GTA’ is an amazing PC game and the idea of it not being on PC is a mistake.” The process has been a labor of love for Julliard, who started the petition in 2012. By November of that year, he had received 10,000 signatures. By July 2013, 240,000 people were showing their support to make “GTA V” a PC game.

“Grand Theft Auto V" launched last October for the Xbox 360 and PS3 and is an open-world action game developed by Scotland-based Rockstar North and published by NYC-based Rockstar Games. “GTA V,” which received highly favorable reviews, was the 15th installment in the “GTA” series and the first game since 2008’s “GTA IV.” The Spike Video Game Awards gave the title the Most Anticipated Game award in 2012. Following its release, the game received the Game of the Year award at the 2013 Golden Joystick Awards. Only three days following its release, IGN listed “GTA V” as second on its list of “Top 25 Xbox 360 Games.”

Within just 24 hours of its release, “GTA V” generated more than $800 million in revenue, equating to around 11.21 million copies sold. Three days after its release, the title had surpassed $1 billion in sales. By October 7, nearly one month after the game’s September 17 release date, “GTA V” became the largest digital release in the PlayStation Store for the PS3. The game also received a score of 8/10 on Gamespot.com.

Would you play “GTA V” on a PC? Do you think the March release date is just a rumor? Leave a comment below.

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