THE Scottish company behind Grand Theft Auto, one of the world’s most popoular and controversial video game franchises, has revealed that a new game will be released in spring next year.
Grand Theft Auto V will be set in the fictional city of Los Santos and its surroundings in “a re-imagined, present-day Southern California”, Edinburgh-based developers Rockstar North announced last night.
A statement posted on the Rockstar North website read: “Today, we’re proud to announce that Grand Theft Auto V is expected to launch worldwide spring 2013 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.”
“Grand Theft Auto V delivers a world of unprecedented scale and detail bursting with life, from mountaintops to the depths of the ocean,” reads the official announcement.
Sam Houser, founder of Rockstar Games, said: “Grand Theft Auto V builds on everything we’ve learned about open world game design. We can’t wait to share it with fans.”
Previous instalments of GTA have been based on New York, Miami, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles and often satirise American popular culture and movies.
A host of Hollywood actors have lent their voices to the open-world series, including Ray Liotta, Dennis Hopper, James Woods and Burt Reynolds.
Grand Theft Auto is one of the most critically and commercially successful video game series, and has sold more than 100million units since it began in 1997.
It has courted controversy from the outset due to its adult themes and violent scenes.
Rockstar North was founded as DMA Design in Dundee in 1988 and following the success of GTA it became an independent label of American publisher Take-Two Interactive.
Grand Theft Auto V will be availble for pre-order from November 5.