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May 9th, 2008 @ 10:18
Someone over at the GTA Forums has noticed that on the Rockstar Social club site there’s an image of a plane ticket for a Mr Niko Bellic - with the destination as San Andreas.
Now, this of course substantiates nothing, but as you love us writing about everything and anything GTA IV, we thought we’d oblige.
When will you tell us Microsoft? When?
By Mike Bowden
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May 9th, 2008 at 10:28 am
What has Microsoft got to do with this?
May 9th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Because if Niko’s off to San Andreas then it could be the contents of the DLC.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:36 am
That’s the most unlikely thing.. ever. San Andreas was twice the size of GTAIV.
Could be a sequel though.
May 9th, 2008 at 10:45 am
It could just be San Andreas the city, as opposed to the game. There were three cities in it, if memory serves?
May 9th, 2008 at 10:55 am
In GTA 1 San Andreas was one city, in the PS2 era game there were three cities in San Andreas state: Los Santos, San Fiero and Las Venturas. Each of these cities had its own airport, if I remember correctly, so you wouldn’t get a ticket San Andreas you would get a ticket to Los Santos etc. Maybe I’m reading too much into this.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Ah, there we are.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:01 am
It wouldn’t be one city. San Andreas is mentioned several time during the game as being the same as the PS2 San Andreas, the individual cities were named too. So the GTAIV San Andreas, is the state.
Either way, the DLC won’t be a new city. This stuff is coming out in the Autumn, bringing a new city is essentially the same as making a new game, which would take years.
Thirly, GTAIV brought in $600 on day one. A whole new city would be akin to a sequel, which Microsoft’s $50 million wouldn’t even come close to covering.
The DLC will be new missions for GTAIV, and bits and bobs (cars, clothes, weapons). MAYBE if we’re very lucky, we’ll get an additional area, but I doubt it’d even be the size of Bohan.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:08 am
maybe it’s just a bit of artwork for illustration purposes. you know, to make the site look nice?
May 9th, 2008 at 11:11 am
Thirly, GTAIV brought in $600 on day one. A whole new city would be akin to a sequel, which Microsoft’s $50 million wouldn’t even come close to covering.
The DLC will be new missions for GTAIV, and bits and bobs (cars, clothes, weapons). MAYBE if we’re very lucky, we’ll get an additional area, but I doubt it’d even be the size of Bohan.
While I think you’re right, it’s worth pointing out that the $50m deal with Microsoft is an advance.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:14 am
As regards the cost: if the main game cost $100 million, $50 million should cover the cost of a game half the size of GTAIV. Also, you’re not taking into account of the fact people will have to pay to download the content as well.
Also (again), Vice City was made in a year as well. Presuming the DLC was started before the game was shipped it could be something the size of say an extra island (Staten Island? A bit of countryside + Albany?)
May 9th, 2008 at 11:30 am
When I said that the $50m is an advance, that’s exactly what it is.
It’s not a one-off payment to Rockstar for DLC exclusivity; MS has basically fronted up the $$$ in advance, knowing that they’ll get it back - and more - once the DLC is out.
It’s a no-brainer when you bear in mind that Call of Duty 4 maps can sell over 1m downloads at $9.99/£6.80.
May 9th, 2008 at 11:41 am
I agree, and should have been clear that I was responding to Zumi.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
“While I think you’re right, it’s worth pointing out that the $50m deal with Microsoft is an advance.”
Yes I know, that’s my point. Why take $50mil from Microsoft for exclusive stuff, when they would make many more times that if it wasn’t exclusive? They wouldn’t take a $50m deal when they could put it out on the market and make another $600m. I know it’s a loan, and they’ll get it back, but it’s still not cost-effective and would effectively be cutting their profits in half. This deal has to be better for Take Two/Rockstar, than for Microsoft.
San Andreas would be a fully boxed sequel, not downloadable stuff. I can’t wait for the “is that it?” comments when they finally announce it. People are expecting way too much.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
This isn’t really related, but the inference from the game, is that there is an entire US in a parallel universe in GTA IV. The radio is always jabbering about the ‘Real Crimes’ series in Vice City and San Andreas, which for me is just as much ‘proof’ of the existence of other cities - San Andreas also had a mission to go to Liberty City.
Personally, I reckon the ultimate aim for Rockstar would be to have an entire country realised in a GTA MMO.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
It’s the obvious next step. Why have a city populated with NPCs when they could be real people?
No wonder Rockstar is looking at Realtime World’s APB with the corporate equivalent of a ‘Paddington Stare’.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
It’ll happen eventually, but most people on the street should still be NPC’s. It’d be a bit silly if everyone in the city was controlled by a real person, running around with shotguns, and driving like a maniac.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I’m very skeptical of the truth of that APB rumour, personally.
May 9th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Since when was APB a rumour? Aren’t Realtime Worlds working on it?
May 9th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Not the game itself. EG published a story earlier this week saying RW bought the APB IP back from Webzen in order to sell it to Rockstar as GTA Online.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
It’s well true. Doesn’t mean the deal will go through, of course, but it is why they bought the rights back.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Ooooh. Well, there we are then.
May 9th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
That’s interesting, but why didn’t Rockstar cut out the middle man and just buy it themselves? Do they need RW to devlop the online content?
Seems like robbing Peter to pay Paul to me.
May 9th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Well, that’s the big question, innit. Why pay for it when they don’t need to?
May 9th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
No. It is nothing to do with DLC.
You will see something for PSP in few months from Rockstar. That’s right, if you are thinking of San Andreas Stories. Niko will be in this game.