Take Two Interactive, the publisher of the renowned franchise Grand Theft Auto, has announced that the launch of the fourth installment in the series will be pushed back to Q1 2008, at the earliest.

After the immense scandal that surrounded the launch of Manhunt 2 for Wii, PSP and PS2, Take Two is now forced to admit that the violent game (which has received Adult Only rating from ESRB) will also be delayed indefinitely, since it has been moved out of the current fiscal year and there is no indication that it will come out next year.

But the big news is the postponement of GTA IV of course, one of the most anticipated titles of 2007 for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 (but behind Halo 3) and Sony’s PlayStation 3. Due the unexpected push-back of the two games, Take Two will have to reduce its fiscal guidance for 2007, and according to the financial update Grand Theft Auto IV “is now planned for release in the Company's second quarter of fiscal 2008.”

Ben Feder, Chief Executive Officer of Take-Two, commented, "Obviously, we are very disappointed to reduce guidance after having previously reaffirmed it. Other than a matter of timing, the movement of Grand Theft Auto IV does not compromise Take-Two in any way. We are in sound financial condition and have a great product line up. Grand Theft Auto IV is going to be the defining next generation video game action adventure."

Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two, stated, "With Grand Theft Auto IV, Rockstar is setting a new standard for next generation video games. Certain elements of development proved to be more time-intensive than expected, especially given the commitment for a simultaneous release on two very different platforms. We all recognize that perfecting the game is vital and I can assure everyone it will be worth the wait. We owe it to the game's millions of fans, to our dedicated development team, and to our shareholders to make sure that Grand Theft Auto IV is a groundbreaking gaming experience that takes maximum advantage of next generation technology."

Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games, added, "The new consoles are allowing us to create the Grand Theft Auto game we always dreamed about. Every aspect of the game and its design has been completely transformed. The game is huge and is pushing the hardware platforms to their absolute limits. The top engineers from Sony and Microsoft are working closely with the team in Edinburgh right now, helping us to fully leverage the power of both platforms. As always, our goal is to surpass even the wildest expectations of the game's fans, and to create the ultimate high definition video game experience."

GTA IV was previously slated for an October 16 release on next-gen platforms, but, after recently viewing a first build of the game, officials at Take Two decided that there is no way the development team could meet the goal of perfecting the engine in time to meet the deadline. Actually, this is no big surprise, since GTA IV was one of the stars that missed the red carpet at this year’s E3, with some industry insiders blaming the PS3 for the delay (apparently, the PS3 version is far behind the Xbox 360 version, mainly because of the programming challenges posed by Cell’s complicated and powerful architecture).

According to Kotaku, when asked whether one console in particular was the root of the problem, Zelnick diplomatically responded that "I know there have been rumors in the marketplace about frame rate and some other issues. We don't think it's helpful or beneficial to go into exact details of what the technological issues are. We're pushing the envelope on both the platforms."

Zelnik also made a mea culpa from delaying the game, explaining he had “the final say” in that decision, but that "This wasn't a decision we took lightly. This wasn't a decision [Rockstar] took lightly."

Since it’s the season of delays, Midway also announced that the sequel for the acclaimed shooter Area 51, called Blacksite: Area 51, will debut sometimes in November. The game was originally intended for a September 2007 release, but Halo 3’s heavy competition on the Xbox 360 platform is apparently not a thing to trifle with when it comes to revenues.