Thanks to a series of tweets last week, the net is rife with rumors that Sony and Rockstar Games are going to announce the release date for both the PS4 and Xbox One version of Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5) at the upcoming E3 2014 conference in June.
Industry insider Ahsan Rasheed, who goes by the screen name 'Thuway', tweeted last week that the release date of several upcoming major videogame titles were being pushed back to 2015 "as tools, engines, and programmers get up to snuff."
"The only remaster this year that will sell in excess of 4 million is the one, the only, Grand Theft Auto 5," Rasheed said over Twitter.
If Rasheed's predictions do come true, this will mean that the majority of game titles released this year will essentially be remakes of older games, but on newer systems. A good example of this would be Square Enix's Tomb Raider reboot, which was released last year on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC. Taking advantage of next-gen hardware, Square Enix rereleased the game for the PS4 and Xbox One the following year. Boasting better graphics, the rerelease Tomb Raider reboot was essentially resdesigned from ground up, and is in many respects a different game from the original.
Now, it seems, Grand Theft Auto 5 will be getting the same treatment soon. To date, Rockstar Games has made a record $2.35 billion in sale for their 2014 fiscal year, and GTA 5 certainly netted in the lions' share of that profit. So, it makes sense that Rockstar Games is doing this.
Still, many adjustments will have to be made before for GTA 5 is ready for next-gen hardware. Adjustments will range from graphics enhancement to console optimization. Sony's PS4 and Microsoft's Xbox One are definitely capable of running higher graphics, so gamers will especially demand more eye-candy than what was already offered in the original GTA 5 versions.
At this time, however, no further rumors have surfaced about the PC version of GTA 5, even though earlier speculation indicated that developers were contemplating bringing the game to PC.
GTA 5 is the latest installment of the controversial Grand Theft Auto (GTA) Franchise, which follows the sandbox-style of gameplay. The overall objective of the GTA-titles has remained largely untouched, and mainly involves players stealing cars, pulling off heists, and wandering around an immersive environment. Players can also choose to find work that is either criminal or bordering on legitimate. A variety of colorful characters dominate the storyline -- ranging from crooked cops to corrupt politicians, and ruthless mob bosses to petty lowlifes.
E3 2014 is scheduled to be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, June 10-12.
