A new installment of the unabashedly violent "Grand Theft Auto"
videogame franchise will hit streets worldwide in September, Take-Two
Interactive Software announced Thursday.
Take-Two said its publishing
label Rockstar Games will release 'Grand Theft Auto V" for play on
Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 consoles on September 17.
"Grand
Theft Auto V continues to push the series forward in new ways," said
Rockstar founder Sam Houser, referring to the coming version as "our
deepest, most beautiful and most immersive world yet."
The new
game is set in the Los Angeles-style fictional city of Los Santos,
described as a sunny metropolis full of self-help gurus, starlets and
fading celebrities struggling in an era of "economic uncertainty and
reality TV."
Central characters include a former street gangster,
an ex-con, and a "violent maniac" betting that a series of dangerous
heists will pay off in better futures, according to Rockstar.
The
game maker promised that the latest installment with have franchise
"classic hallmarks," including "a darkly humorous take on modern
culture."
"Grand Theft Auto: IV" blew away videogame and Hollywood
records when it was released in 2008, raking in $500 million in its
opening week.
More than 125 million copies of "GTA" games have reportedly been sold since the series began in 1997.
The
"GTA" franchise is an epicenter for outrage over violence in videogames
because players triumph with acts such as carjacking, thuggery, and
killing.
The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) stamped a
"Mature" label on "GTA: IV," banning US retailers from selling the game
to anyone under 17.