Take-Two reconfirms GTA date

Take-Two has reconfirmed Grand Theft Auto IV's release date, while GTA-publishing subsidiary Rockstar has promised that a new trailer - called "Looking for that special someone" - will hit the Internet on 28th June.

The company was speaking in the aftermath of its second-quarter financial report, which you can read about on our sister-site, GamesIndustry.biz. Executives, responding to questions about GTA IV, said that it was still on track for 16th October in the US (19th October in Europe), and that the promised special edition would arrive on time as well.

CEO Ben Feder also said that "the release of Grand Theft Auto IV is going to have a material beneficial impact on the sales of PS3," according to comments recorded by GameSpot.

Take-Two's re-assertion of GTA IV's date will be seen by some as a reply to analyst Michael Pachter, of Wedbush Morgan, who recently speculated on the possibility of a delay. "We believe that it is possible that the company will choose to 'throw in the towel' on financial year 07 by shifting the release date for Grand Theft Auto IV by a few weeks, increasing the losses incurred this year and improving the company's prospects for financial year 08," he said earlier this month.

Any delay would also further distance the game from Microsoft's Halo 3, which - while not in direct competition - is certain to be high on most Xbox 360 owners' agenda when it launches, less than a month before Take-Two's GTA date, on 26th September.

Elsewhere, Rockstar representatives told members of the US press yesterday that a new trailer will arrive on 28th June - something reflected by a new splash screen on the game's booming official website.

You can watch the original trailer ("Things will be different") on Eurogamer TV, and check out screenshots of the game in our Grand Theft Auto IV gallery for both PS3 and Xbox 360.