Rockstar puts it down to nothing more than required extra development time - but then they also said less than three weeks ago that it was "absolutely on track" for October. So what's the real reason Grand Theft Auto IV was delayed to next year? Here are four possible conspiracy theories we'll gladly throw into the mix...
The PS3 version held it back
Rockstar has had Xbox 360 development kits for a long time now, and released Rockstar Games Presents: Table Tennis on the system last year - which, it's important to remember, uses the same RAGE engine that powers GTA IV. So in some form at least, GTA IV's engine is already up and running in a shippable form on the Xbox 360.
Couple this with the fact that no one has seen anything of the PS3 version of GTA IV, and that every demo we've been to has been with a 360 pad firmly in view, and alarm bells start to ring.
Rockstar blames "certain elements of development" for the delay, could these "certain elements" be the PS3 version? You can't say that it isn't a possibility.
Former Xbox boss says GTA: San Andreas and its infamously NSFW Hot Coffee minigame "signified a maturing of the industry" and put games "on par with movies and music"
A GTA streamer is trying to beat every single 3D entry without dying, and in 33 hours he's made it as far as San Andreas but keeps getting caught in Vice City purgatory
