GTA V gets a release date

Here’s some bittersweet news for everyone: Grand Theft Auto V will be out on 17 September 2013. Rejoice! An actual release date! Now, for those of you have been paying attention, you’ll notice that this is about four months later than initially expected.

When Rockstar finally lifted the lid on the next instalment in one of gaming’s most recognisable series, it was originally pegged to be out in “Spring 2013”. That’s American for some time between March and May for us here in South Africa. Looks like we’ll be waiting a little longer than that.

This news came via an official statement from the team working on the game. The announcement was published on the Rockstar homepage and because gamers are a whiny, self-entitled bunch, the delay has resulted in a torrent of abusive comments. It’s gotten bad enough for Rockstar to have to pin a warning to the top of the comments block. Hit the jump for the full announcement.

Dear all,

Today, we have an official release date to share with you: Grand Theft Auto V will arrive in stores on September 17, 2013.

We know this is about four months later than originally planned and we know that this short delay will come as a disappointment to many of you, but, trust us, it will be worth the extra time. GTAV is a massively ambitious and complex game and it simply needs a little more polish to be of the standard we and, more importantly, you require.

To all Grand Theft Auto fans, please accept our apologies for the delay, and our promise that the entire team here is working very hard to make the game all it can be. We are doing all we can to help ensure it will meet if not exceed your expectations come September – we thank you for your support and patience.

Yours,

The GTA Team

It’s unclear at this time as to whether or not this is a worldwide release date or just the US release date. Previous entry, GTA IV, released worldwide in April 2008, but subsequent Rockstar titles such as L.A. Noire and Red Dead Redemption were staggered releases.

Source: Rockstar
Via: Kotaku