While it’s pure speculation until confirmed, the details of a Grand Theft Auto game, Chinatown Wars, have been revealed in the latest edition of Nintendo Power. While Chinatown Wars was confirmed to be in development during Nintendo’s press event at E3 earlier this year and in a press release, no further concrete details have been announced. Sam Houser, co-founder of Rockstar Games said of the game:

“This is a game that will deliver a rich, fast-paced and intense ‘Grand Theft Auto’ experience that will be truly unique to Nintendo’s handheld platform. Rockstar Leeds, along with the team at Rockstar North, has built upon a decade of progressive design on Grand Theft Auto, and has created something fundamentally fresh and immersive.”

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is expected to be available on the Nintendo DS in North America and Europe later this year. Click ahead to get the unverified details…

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Yep, all the rumours were correct. Grand Theft Auto IV, the magnum-opus of a free-roaming game, is to be released on PC later this year. Finally, PC players will be able to discover what they’ve been missing since the end of April when the game released on Xbox 360 and PS3 - a cinematic narrative experience moving the game play along, with production values rivaling those of top Hollywood movies, as well as a fine, fine selection of music to listen to as you cruise around the highly detailed Liberty City…the wonderful graphics and multiplayer (enhanced for PC play) don’t hurt, either.

“We are very excited to be releasing the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “The whole team is dedicated to bringing an amazing gaming experience to the PC. The game looks and plays beautifully on PC and we can’t wait for people to play it.”

GTA IV will be released on November 18th in the US and the 21st in Europe, this time for the PC.

Rockstar Games has released new patches for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Grand Theft Auto IV.

The patches fix issues that have been identified for each system by Rockstar but target multiplayer connectivity issues specifically, including freezes during certain modes, continuation when players leave matches and bugs within races and race lobbies.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences and thank you for your continued support.” says Rockstar.

Head over to the Rockstar Social Club website for a detailed list of the issues which have been fixed by the patches.

Following the launch of GTA IV at the end of last month Rockstar Games and Take Two announced that it had sold 6 million units worldwide amounting to a retail value of over $500 million in the first week.

Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take Two said “Grand Theft Auto IV’s first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date.”

Guinness World Records yesterday confirmed Take Two’s claims with the announcement that Grand Theft Auto IV has taken its place among the greats in the Guinness World Records.

GTA IV sold 3.6 million units worth $310 million in its first day of release. These sales figures have earned it the Guinness World Records for the Highest Grossing Video Game in 24 Hours and the Highest Revenue Generated by an Entertainment Product in 24 Hours.

These records make GTA IV the most profitable entertainment release of all-time, surpassing the releases of other video games, films and books.

According to Guinness World Records, Halo 3 was the fastest-selling video game in 24 hours with $170 million while Spider-Man 3 racked up $60 million to become the best-selling theatrical movie in 24 hours and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is the fastest-selling book in 24 hours with $220 million.

Shortly after Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV had outsold the PS3 version in the UK, Microsoft’s Gamerscore blog announced that the Xbox 360 had also triumphed in the US.

According to Microsoft sales data from last week, sales of the Xbox 360 console at retail increased by 54% week-over-week as a result of GTA IV. Microsoft cites retailer reports that “more than 60% of all GTA games sold in the first week were the Xbox 360 version.” In addition information from retailers suggests that approximately 40% of new consoles are selling with a copy of GTA IV.

The blog post also reveals that over 2.3 million people played GTA IV on Xbox Live in the first week leading to the game now ranking as the number one played game on Xbox Live. The Xbox Live service reached 1 million concurrent users over the weekend while over 12 million achievements worth over 100 million gamerscore points in GTA IV have been unlocked.

The game has also set a new record for time played, the average gamer spent over four hours playing GTA IV on Xbox Live in the first week.

Microsoft has announced that the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV has outsold the PS3 version in the UK. The Xbox 360 version sold over 100 000 copies in the UK, 20% more than the PS3 version, since GTA IV was released last Tuesday the 29th of April.

According to data released by ELSPA/Chart Track, the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV sold 514 000 copies in the UK in week one while the PS3 version of the game sold 413 000 copies. Microsoft also pointed out that sales of the Xbox 360 console increased by 125%.

Earlier in the week Chart Track announced that GTA IV sold 926 000 copies (£39.9 million) in its first week in the UK. The title debuted at the top of the chart as the biggest All Formats number 1 ever, after selling an estimated 631 000 copies in the first 24 hours.

In the meantime GTA IV has also racked up the title of most-played game on Xbox Live. As of the 4th of May over 9.7 million hours of GTA IV online multiplayer have been logged on Xbox Live while more than 31 million hours have been spent playing the game overall.

Xbox 360 owners can also look forward to exclusive downloadable episodes via Xbox Live this autumn.

“Today it has become clear that consumers are finding Xbox 360 the best way to experience Liberty City and we expect this trend to continue, especially with exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV episodes coming to Xbox 360 in the Autumn,” said Chris Lewis, Vice President, Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft EMEA.

“Grand Theft Auto has a new home on Xbox 360, and consumers are discovering how our platform can enhance the experience like no other.”

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV was released last week Tuesday, the 29th of April. Today Take Two announced that it has broken entertainment records for day one and week one by dollar value.

GTA IV has sold an estimated 6 million units worldwide, amounting to a retail value of over $500 million in the first week. It sold approximately 3.6 million units on its opening day, racking up $310 million worldwide.

Earlier in the week Chart Track announced that GTA IV sold 926 000 copies (£39.9 million) in its first week in the UK. The title debuted at the top of the chart as the biggest All Formats number 1 ever, after selling an estimated 631 000 copies in the first 24 hours.

Must-have experience

“We knew Grand Theft Auto IV would break new ground in terms of the player’s experience, with its compelling story line, extraordinary gameplay and action that ranges over a broad urban canvas. Now, it has broken sales and rating records as well,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two.

“Grand Theft Auto IV’s first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date. We congratulate the entire Rockstar team on creating a must-have experience that takes the legendary Grand Theft Auto franchise to a new level.”

Ben Feder, Take-Two’s Chief Executive Officer commented “Rockstar’s goal is to make each new title in the Grand Theft Auto franchise even better than those that preceded it, and Grand Theft Auto IV is a smashing success on that score.”

“Grand Theft Auto IV makes full use of the power of next generation technology, and offers players an experience unique in the interactive entertainment medium. This game sets a new standard in the industry, with critics hailing it as both an artistic and technological masterpiece.”

Grand Theft Auto IV is currently available for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV has broken all previous day one sales records in the UK, selling an estimated 609 000 copies for the Xbox 360 and PS3 combined for the 29th of April.

This is according to ELSPA, who reported that day one sales of GTA IV beat the previous record of 501 000 copies which was set by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PS2 in October 2004.

“The scale of GTA’s day one sales are phenomenal and reflect a vibrant market which continues to grow. Gamers are from all age groups and demographics with estimates putting the total number of people in the UK who enjoy games at over 20 million,” said ELSPA managing director, Mike Rawlinson.

Microsoft’s Halo 3 for the Xbox 360 recorded sales of 266 000 copies on day one in September 2007. The new 24 hour record is GTA IV which totaled an estimated 335 000 copies on day one.

The previous record for the PS3 was Sony’s Gran Turismo 5: Prologue which recorded day one sales of 80 000 copies in March 2008. The new 24 hour record is GTA IV which totaled an estimated 274 000 copies on day one.

Chart Track figures are due to be released tomorrow so stay tuned.

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV was released worldwide yesterday for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Grand Theft Auto IV was developed by series creator Rockstar North. Set in Liberty City, the latest installment in the popular series features a detailed and life-like city, narrative experience, original soundtrack and sixteen player multiplayer with over a dozen online modes.

Rockstar also launched the Rockstar Social Club, a new website that seeks to extend a players experience of GTA IV as well as future Rockstar games.

The site features “detailed, diverse and sometimes amusing” leaderboards, virtual events, player statistics as well as performance-based competitions and awards for players of all skill levels.

Players will be able to keep track of online multiplayer statistics, participate in physical challenges, try to earn a place in the Hall of Fame and keep a daily track of crime with the Liberty City Police Blotter.

If you are a “true GTA die-hard” keep an eye out for the GTA IV 100% Club Competition. Those players who attain 100% within seven days after the release of GTA IV will receive a limited edition ‘key to the city.’

To link your game to the Social Club Account (you can link either your Xbox Live gamertag or your PlayStation Network sign-in ID), simply log in, go to ‘Edit Profile’ and select the option to link your account to your gaming platform.

You can visit the website at www.rockstargames.com/socialclub.

Rockstar Games has undertaken to fix the problems in the Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition.

Xbox 360 gamers have experienced numerous problems with the game including freezing, glitches and crashes. The publisher is currently working on a fix for the problems. You can expect it to be released as a title update on Xbox Live during the course of this week.

A Rockstar representative commented “We are very aware of the problems some people have been experiencing with the Xbox 360 version of Bully: Scholarship Edition and have been doing everything within our powers to resolve these issues as quickly as possible. We apologize wholeheartedly for the inconvenience that this matter has caused some owners of the game.”

This statement comes after Rockstar co-founder and President Sam Houser was “horrified” about the problems and reportedly “working around the clock to rectify this situation.” Rockstar reports that no such problems were discovered in QA. He also stated that “We love our games and put a huge amount of energy and care into making them all that they can be. We would never shove anything out the door - we never have and never will.”