Analyst Criticizes Take-Two For 'Grand Theft Auto' Break In 2010

Last week's announcement that "Grand Theft Auto" probably won't produce a sequel in 2010 hasn't gone unnoticed by Take-Two's shareholders, and at least one vocal game industry analyst has stepped in to the conversation with skepticism over the company's transparency and planning.

"Dan Houser, one of the three key employees behind the franchise, said in a recent interview that the trio hadn’t even thought of the locale for the next instalment, let alone the plot," Wedbush Morgan Securities' Michael Pachter wrote to investors, according to GamesIndustry.biz. "While we find this unfathomable, if it is true, it suggests that there will not be another installment of GTA until late 2011 at the earliest, putting the game on a three and a half year release cycle."

That's cold advice, but it's not the first time Pachter's opinions have put him at odds with a game company. He also infamously predicted the Wii HD, which Nintendo adamantly denies is in the works.

This time, he's broadcasting advice for Take-Two and arguing on behalf of what he believes are shareholders' best interests.

"In our view, if the company’s most important franchise is on a three and a half year schedule, management owes its shareholders the obligation of informing them of this fact. With no visibility into the timing of the next instalment of GTA, we think that many investors will remain sceptical of the Take-Two story."

Are you OK with Take-Two not producing a GTA title in 2010? What do you think of Pachter's analysis? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Tags grand theft auto, rockstar games, Take-Two Interactive