Rockstar has still not acknowledged that it’s working on a sequel to Grand Theft Auto IV even though one is obviously inevitable. There’s been a fair bit of evidence that it’s coming and analyst Michael Pachter speculated that a release before the end of January 2012 made a lot of sense due to key employees’ contracts ending at that time. With those contracts being extended last month, that means there’s likely not as much of a rush to get the game out. It might not be quite as soon, but a new report says we’ll probably be playing the newest GTA game before the end of next year.
An anonymous source close to Rockstar told GameSpot that development is “well underway.” Specifically, it’s already at a stage where “final touches” like minigames are being implemented, the report states. A release during 2012 is “pretty likely,” according to the source.
While we still have no official word on the game, it’s looking as if it’ll be set in or around a Hollywood-inspired locale. Domains were registered for what sound like faux brands in a GTA game; casting calls referred to “Rush,” though to be GTAV’s code name; and one casting call in particular was for a character from the series. San Andreas was partially set in a Los Angeles-inspired city.
