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GTA Online giving you 'The Business' on March 4
Grand Theft Auto 5's "The Business Update" has been entered in the Excel sheet for a March 4 formulation on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. The update includes three new sports cars, two new guns (heavy pistol and special carbine, pictured), along with new clothing that's appropriate for the boardroom or the champagne room. This is also the last chance to get the items from the Valentine's Day Massacre Special, which will no longer be available this Sunday, March 2. So, get in gear, heartbreaker. [Image: Rockstar]
New GTA Online 'Verified Jobs' race around Nurburgring
Rockstar has added another ten jobs to GTA Online's list of multiplayer to-dos today, one of them being an impressive recreation of the famous German race track, Nürburgring. "Verified Jobs" are custom multiplayer match types, created by the community and hand-selected by Rockstar developers. Players create these custom Jobs using GTA Online's creation tools, introduced in late December to both Xbox 360 and PS3. Creation tools are currently limited, and only support race and deathmatch variants. Rockstar plans to expand GTA Online's creation system soon, and expects to add co-op heists some time this year. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Grand Theft Auto masterminds crash into AIAS Hall of Fame
Rockstar heads Leslie Benzies, Dan Houser and Sam Houser are the 18th, 19th and 20th inductees into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, joining previous winners Gabe Newell, Shigeru Miyamoto, Sid Meier, John Carmack, Mark Cerny, Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuck, and Tim Sweeney, among other luminaries. The Houser brothers founded Rockstar Games in 1998 and acquired Benzies' studio, DMA Design, in 1999. It became Rockstar North, the hub of Grand Theft Auto development. Microsoft Corporate Veep Phil Harrison will present Benzies and the Housers at the DICE Awards on Thursday, February 6. "A rare combination of cultural savvy, technical prowess and a deep passion for interactive entertainment has made Rockstar Games a global success story that has helped propel the games medium forward," Harrison says in a press release. "I am proud and honored to present Leslie, Sam and Dan with this award on behalf of the entire industry." AIAS calls out specific franchises as examples of Rockstar's impact on the industry, as both developer and publisher: Grand Theft Auto, Bully, Red Dead Redemption, Manhunt, The Warriors and LA Noire. We'll be running a liveblog of the DICE Awards on Thursday, starting at 7:30PM PT. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Take-Two revenue nears $2 billion in Q3 2014 because GTA5
Take-Two's GAAP net revenue was $1.86 billion in Q3 2014, up from $415.77 million in Q3 2013 and led by sales of Grand Theft Auto 5, NBA 2K14 and WWE 2K14, the company reported today. Though Grand Theft Auto 5 launched during Q2 2014, Take-Two pushed its results to Q3, citing the later launch of Grand Theft Auto Online. Grand Theft Auto 5 has shipped 32.5 million copies and NBA 2K14 has shipped more than 5 million copies, making it 2K's most successful basketball game to date. Take-Two's net revenue got a kick from digital content sales, a segment that grew 42 percent year-over-year to $132.8 million (in non-GAAP terms). Digital sales were boosted mainly by Borderlands 2, BioShock Infinite, and the Grand Theft Auto and NBA 2K franchises, Take-Two reported. There's no mention of Grand Theft Auto 5 for PC or next-gen consoles in Take-Two's statement, but CEO Strauss Zelnick said there's more news to come: "Looking ahead, we have a robust pipeline of both new intellectual properties and offerings from our proven franchises in development, including more than 10 unique titles for the next-generation consoles."
Rockstar verifies ten more fan-crafted jobs for GTA Online
Another month, another chance for Rockstar games to highlight ten of the best community creations found in Grand Theft Auto Online by adding them to the ranks of the "Rockstar Verified." Five of these newly verified jobs are the result of an event Rockstar held in late December that sought to reward the best community creations with a unique license plate and $1 million of in-game currency. The list of winners includes a shotgun-pocked deathmatch arena in the middle of the desert, a GTA Online remake of the famous Laguna Seca racetrack and "4 Way Madness," a high-speed track that culminates in a wildly dangerous four-way jump. While the remaining additions to the Rockstar Verified roster will not earn their creators a fortune in virtual cash, they're no less intriguing. For example, "Twists And Twirls" is a picturesque race through the hills separating downtown Los Santos from the arid desert of Blaine County, while "Classy Construction" drops a gangwar into the game's most wealthy neighborhood Full details on each winning map can be found on the Rockstar Games Social Club along with all the information you'll need to play these new jobs in GTA Online.
Grand Theft Auto 5 listed for PC on Amazon Germany, Amazon France
Crime epic Grand Theft Auto 5 was listed earlier today on Amazon France (since removed) and it's still sitting pretty on Amazon Germany for pre-order. An almost identical listing for a PC version of the game occurred around this time on the two sites last year, so please temper expectations of validity. Retail listings don't guarantee a product is real ... that's what ratings boards are for. Not to crush hopes and dreams entirely, Take-Two Interactive, parent company of Rockstar Games, will announce its third quarter earnings on February 3. Announcing the PC and next-gen versions of GTA 5 around that time would be a reasonable course of action. You know, if any exist.
Modders invite the undead to invade Bully: Scholarship Edition
Rockstar Games may not have introduced zombies to its childhood delinquency simulator Bully, but thanks to industrious modders you can see what might happen if shambling corpses were to invade Bullworth Academy. That footage you see above comes from Bully: Zombie Edition, an in-production modification for the PC version of Bully: Scholarship Edition that strips out most of its gameplay elements in favor of a new, as yet incomplete storyline. We'd tell you more about this new zombie-focused plot, but the mod's creators have yet to publicly reveal any details of what it might include. Likewise, the clip above is taken from an early stage of the modification, and should be viewed only as a proof of concept for the game's environments as well as its formerly deceased inhabitants. As of now there's no scheduled release date for Bully: Zombie Edition, but if you'd like to keep tabs on the mod you can visit its ModDB page. Everything you need to know can be found there and presumably that will be where the modification first debuts, once it's complete.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas out now on iOS
Rockstar Games' iOS port of GTA: San Andreas has launched on iTunes. The iOS version of the game features improved graphics and draw distance, plus three different control schemes including support for made-for-iOS controllers on iOS 7. You can even create your own custom playlist on your iDevice and load it into GTA: San Andreas's "Mixtape" radio station. Rockstar is currently working on versions for Windows Phone (coming next week), Android and Kindle Fire. The iOS app, which runs on iPad 2, iPhone 4S and above, is priced at $7.
Race, deathmatch tools in GTA Online this week; heists and story content in 2014
A new update is coming to GTA Online – the online side of GTA 5 – this week, unlocking race and deathmatch creation tools for all players. Using these tools, players can set up custom race and shootout jobs to play with friends and publish the custom game types to the Rockstar Games Social Club. The creation tools will be included in a mandatory title update, which could be available as early as tomorrow, on PS3 and Xbox 360. This month will also see the addition of Capture mode, a variant of the classic Capture the Flag mode. Up to four teams fight to steal goods from other enemy squads' bases and get back to their own with the goods. Rockstar promises more info on Capture mode next week. Finally, Rockstar has outlined a few updates coming to GTA Online next year. Co-op heists is the biggest update due in the new year, though Rockstar also says the GTA 5 story mode will get some new stuff in 2014 "continuing Michael, Franklin and Trevor's action, mayhem and unexpected adventures in Southern San Andreas."
Leaked video shows GTA Online's unreleased content creator
GTA Online, the multiplayer side of Grand Theft Auto 5, will eventually add a content creator first promised in the announcement trailer, but one plucky individual managed to uncover it early, or at least an old version of it, in the current game code. The above video, from the same individual who discovered potential upcoming DLC packs in the Beach Bum update game code, shows how the content cam works. Spawning weaponry appears to be a snap and even though we don't get to see this YouTuber start up any matches, you can clearly see options for beginning a Race or Deathmatch. Rockstar Games has yet to announce when the full content creator will be unlocked in GTA Online.
GTA Online rifles and accessories are half-off this weekend
Rockstar is bringing holiday cheer to Grand Theft Auto 5 with a couple of discounted pieces of in-game content for GTA Online. Players can celebrate Thanksgiving with half-off deals for all rifles and rifle ammo and attachments, specifically the game's assault, carbine, heavy, advanced and sniper rifle weapons. The sales start tomorrow and last through December 1. Additionally, Rockstar discounted all black-colored clothing, accessories and vehicle modification items to celebrate Black Friday by 50 percent (though the sale for these items are also good through December 1). The vehicle modification items include window tinting, black license plates and black tire smoke for your car of choice.
Improved Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on mobile in December
A new and improved version of GTA: San Andreas is coming to mobile platforms next month. Rockstar Games points out the mobile port of the PS2 game will have remastered graphics with better shadows. The mobile port also has a greater draw distance, improved color palette and enhanced models for both characters and cars, which Rockstar says will up the graphical fidelity to "make this the best-looking version of San Andreas yet." On top of bringing all the purdy to the small screen, GTA: San Andreas for mobile also improves upon the original's controls with a new contextual control option that displays buttons only when needed, though Rockstar hasn't said specifically how that will work. Rockstar has also added a trio of new control schemes for driving and maneuvering and overhauled the game's checkpoint system for "easier progression." GTA San Andreas for mobile will have full controller support, including Made for iOS controller functionality on iOS 7, and is planned to launch on iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle and Windows Mobile devices sometime next month.
New GTA Online title update protects data from cloud outages
A new title update on PS3 and Xbox 360 is available for GTA Online. The update – which addresses cloud synchronization issues where players would lose progress, cash, online vehicles and their mods when cloud uploads failed – will trigger the next time you boot up Grand Theft Auto 5. In addition to the update, Rockstar says GTA Online players should get their first half of the delayed stimulus package money sometime in the next few days. The cash will roll out over the course of a full day, so don't expect the deposit to show on your Maze Bank account right away. Later this month, GTA Online will get its first content update: the Beach Bum content pack, plus job creation tools. The Beach Bum pack includes four new vehicles, two new weapons and over 300 items, while the job creation tools allow players to create their own custom race and deathmatch variants for use in GTA Online.
Grand Theft Auto Online stimulus package update coming next week
Rockstar Games announced that its planned "stimulus package" update for the Grand Theft Auto Online portion of Grand Theft Auto 5 will launch "early next week" for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. As part GTAO's stimulus package, players will receive a half-million GTA$ via two in-game deposits, the first of which will arrive when title update 1.05 hits next week. The update will be followed by the release of the Beach Bum Pack in November, along with a set of Content Creator tools. Next week's update was previously delayed as Rockstar sorted out bugs related to the saving of player progress, which arose as a widespread problem following GTA Online's launch in October.
GTA5 iFruit app brings dogsitting, car customization to Android
Rockstar Games has announced the Android release of its iFruit app, giving those not devoted to iOS a chance to groom a virtual Rottweiler on the go. As with its iOS incarnation, the Android version of iFruit is a free download. For that nonexistent price of entry, players are given access to an expanded, electronic version of the Grand Theft Auto 5 manual, direct links to the Rockstar Social Club, and two "games." The first is a simple series of menus designed for lightweight car customization. The second allows players to directly interact with their in-game dog by feeding him, playing fetch and engaging in one of three simple minigames. Once you've linked your Rockstar Social Club account to the iFruit app, any vehicle changes you make or new tricks you teach your dog will be carried over into the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 versions of Grand Theft Auto V. Downloading the iFruit app is as simple as visiting the Google Play store and tapping the "install" button.
GTA 5 getting beach vehicles and job creation tools in November
In addition to its announcement of a delay in issuing the "stimulus package" for GTA Online, Rockstar revealed that the first content update for Grand Theft Auto 5 will arrive in November. First announced in September, the Beach Bum Pack and first part of the GTA Online Content Creator will launch next month. The Beach Bum Pack offers four beach-themed vehicles, two new weapons and over 300 items. The content pack gives players more customization options like hairstyles and tattoos as well. Additionally, Rockstar plans to open the ability to create, publish and rate custom race and deathmatch jobs for use in GTA Online. Lastly, the developer noted that GTA Online Social Club weekend events will begin next month, granting players bonuses and "event crate drops" for participating.
GTA Online stimulus package delayed, persistent bugs to blame
Grand Theft Auto Online players will not be receiving a $250,000 infusion of virtual cash this week, despite Rockstar announcing such plans only a few days ago. That $250,000 deposit marks the first half of a payout designed to soothe the rage of players after the rocky launch of Grand Theft Auto Online earlier this month. Four days ago Rockstar claimed it would be issuing these piles of virtual cash to players this week. That never came to pass, and now Rockstar has offered another announcement regarding the stimulus package. "We know many of you are anxiously waiting for us to show you the GTA$ Stimulus Package money we announced a couple weeks back," reads the Rockstar Games website. "As mentioned in that post, we of course want to ensure that game progress loss issues are sufficiently sorted before distributing the GTA$ to everyone. We have a few more tweaks and fixes to make in a new title update that will hit sometime next week and then we will distribute the cash." Rockstar has offered no word on when we can expect the newly-delayed payout.
Grand Theft Auto 5 now available through Xbox games on demand
Crime opera blockbuster Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now digitally through the Xbox Live Marketplace for $59.99, same as the hard copy. Reasons to purchase the game digitally instead of going to the store: all the reasons, the world is scary. So very, very scary. There's sharknadoes out there! Just saw a documentary on it recently. You could always order from Amazon and save three cents. Or, you know, while debating this, the download could be starting. As a general reminder, GTA 5 is already available digitally through the PlayStation Store.
Lost your Grand Theft Auto Online character? Have some money instead!
For all the problems of online games, there's a certain assumption that your character is safe no matter what technical problems might hit the server. Sure, Grand Theft Auto Online has had some growing pains, but if your character vanishes for some reason you can still -- wait, no, apparently your character is lost forever and will never return to you. That's kind of the opposite of news you were hoping for. So in the hopes that you'll be distracted, Rockstar is throwing half a million dollars at you. Before you get too distracted, you should know that this is in-game money. Two payments of $250,000 in-game will be provided to players on two distinct dates, hopefully by the end of next week. While this won't exactly replace the time and effort lost via vanishing characters, it should at least take the edge off of Grand Theft Auto Online's unexpected problems.
Artist wants GTA5 recalled for unlicensed use of his music
A law office representing music artist Daz Dillinger has issued Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games a cease and desist letter, in an attempt to block the sale of Grand Theft Auto 5. The complaint is over the use of two tracks released with fellow artist Kurupt under the group banner "Tha Dogg Pound." The letter reportedly claims Rockstar attempted to purchase rights for the "offensively low offer of $4,271.00" for his songs 'C-Walk' and 'Nothin' But the Cavi Hit.' Dillinger and his lawyers at the firm Kushner Carlson have given Take-Two 14 days to comply with their demands to recall and destroy any unsold copies of the game, or strike a new business deal for the use of the artist's music. Speaking with TMZ, Dillinger said the suit was about "respecting an artist's work." The artist noted that Rockstar neglected to do so and he "can't let them get away with it." Only days after launching on September 17, Grand Theft Auto 5 sales had surpassed $1 billion worldwide, according to Take-Two's estimates. Joystiq has contacted both Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive for a comment on the filing, but no response was issued at the time of publishing. [Image via Muzikosvirtuve]
