Take-Two Interactive went on the record last year to say that they don't believe Grand Theft Auto needs to be "an annualized franchise." But while Rockstar Games could spin a new series out of "Red Dead Redemption" this month, one industry analyst believes a new GTA for 2011 will be necessary, and a first look at the unannounced game could come as soon as E3 in June.
"I think we're going to hear about another Grand Theft Auto," director of analyst services for Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR) Jesse Divinch told Game Informer. "I think there won’t be any playable stuff. I think they'll give you some type of teaser, because we do think that a year from then in 2011 we're going to see another Grand Theft Auto."
The logic in this statement is all well and good, but it is just an educated guess from the outside looking in. Even so, such an announcement would make a lot of sense. Divinch went on to sat that he doesn't foresee a battle for exclusivity this time around, as reportedly went down when "GTA4" launched.
"Microsoft paid a lot of money for exclusivity on the downloadable content for GTA IV, which unfortunately did little to move consoles for Microsoft. Back in 2004, the Grand Theft Auto was a huge brand, but only relative to the other brands that existed at the time," Divinch said. "While the GTA brand is certainly bigger now than it was five years ago, others have emerged to reach similar levels of success, such as Call of Duty or Guitar Hero. In other words, if Sony gets an exclusive deal on 'GTA5,' it would do little to disrupt Microsoft's ability to move hardware, and vice versa."
I'm sure whatever Rockstar decides to do at E3, they'll try to surprise us as best they can. Keep in mind they have Take-Two shareholders to satisfy, too, though. And shareholders like familiar franchise names with proven earning power.
Do you think we'll see a new GTA game at E3? Do you think "Red Dead Redemption" will become another big-money series for Rockstar? Share your predictions in the comment section below.