[dropcap size=small]L[/dropcap]ast week Rockstar Games announced that the PC version of Grand Theft Auto V will hit stores in March, which is two months later than its already-delayed January 27 release date. If you’re even slightly familiar with the studio’s track record, this has proven to be a fairly common practice, and the folks over at GameSpot have taken a detailed look at Rockstar’s past delays in their recurring segment called The Lobby.
The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions of GTA V were released on November 18 of last year, and while the title was scheduled for a PC release at the same time as the next-gen ports, the PC version was then pushed back to January 27. Two weeks before the release, Rockstar announced that the game has been delayed until March 24 with the highly-anticipated GTA Online Heists launching simultaneously for PC. The console versions of Heists will be released “in the coming weeks ahead of the PC launch” although no official date has been given.
GTA IV saw Rockstar’s biggest delay as the release date was bumped six whole months from October 2007 to April 2008, while 2004’s GTA: San Andreas was delayed just a week. GTA III was originally due out in September 2001 but experienced a completely understandable one-month delay to remove imagery similar to the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers, as well as police cars that closely resembled NYPD vehicles.
The GTA franchise isn’t the only one to be affected by the developer’s ever-changing schedule: 2010’s hit western Red Dead Redemption was pushed back a month as well. But as pointed out by the GameSpot team, even despite the delays, Rockstar Games still sells millions of units. Why? It’s the quality of the finished product that makes the postponements worth it. While there have been a few hiccups here and there (the Hot Coffee Incident of 2004), the big answer for Rockstar’s setbacks is that the studio is dedicated to presenting the players with an exciting, unique gaming experience with minimal issues.
Have Rockstar’s delays deterred you from picking up any of the studio’s titles or has the quality kept you coming back for more? Tell us in the comments! You can check out the full conversation from the GameSpot team below.
Grand Theft Auto V is currently available for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 and will arrive for PC on March 24.
