Grand Theft Auto 5 Confirmed For Spring 2013 On Consoles?

Grand Theft Auto 5 may be out in the first half of next year. The first pre-order advertisement for the game suggests that it's going to launch in Spring 2013.

The advertisement, spotted by PS3Site.pl, only mentions the PS3 and Xbox 360. This suggests that the PC version won't be out during the same period. Typically the PC releases for Rockstar titles lag behind their console counterparts. The PC edition of GTA 4, for example, arrived seven months after the PS3/360 debut.

The ad (click below for full-sized image) doesn't mention the Wii U, either. It seems unlikely that Rockstar will develop the game for that platform at all. This summer Strauss Zelnick, the CEO of Rockstar parent Take-Two, said he was skeptical that any of their "core franchises" would make it onto the Wii U. The publisher's plans for the Wii U are currently limited to family and sports games.

A spring launch for GTA 5 seems consistent with Rockstar's recent behavior. Their other big releases this generation - GTA 4, Red Dead Redemption, L.A. Noire and Max Payne 3 - were all spring releases as well. While these games are high-profile enough to be competitive in the fall, it seems Rockstar prefers to release them in periods of lower competition. The strategy has mostly paid off, too.

The next issue of Game Informer is will have a massive info-dump on the game. It's possible they'll confirm this release window as well.

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