New York, NY – October 13, 2011 – Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce the 10th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto III on October 22, 2011. The anniversary is a landmark moment for the Grand Theft Auto series and Rockstar Games. The release of Grand Theft Auto III in 2001 was a pivotal step in the series’ path to become one of the biggest entertainment properties. In conjunction with the celebration, Rockstar will release Grand Theft Auto III for select new generation iOS and Android devices in the fall. A full list of devices is available at www.rockstargames.com/newswire.
“Grand Theft Auto III showed us the potential of open world games,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “It helped set the vision for the company, and we have been expanding on those possibilities with every game ever since.”
Mobile versions of the game will be available to play at the 2011 New York Comic-Con from October 14-16, 2011. Attendees of the show will be able to tour the Grand Theft Auto III gallery featuring the game’s signature art, and will also have the opportunity to win special anniversary edition Grand Theft Auto III and Rockstar Games merchandise. For those unable to attend, the Rockstar Warehouse (www.rockstarwarehouse.com) is relaunching today, where the special anniversary edition items will be available for purchase throughout October.
Beginning today, the limited-edition action figure of Grand Theft Auto III lead character, Claude, will be available for pre-order through the Rockstar Warehouse. The action figure will be on sale on October 20. The fully articulated 1:6 scale Claude figure comes dressed in his original attire of cargo pants and a bomber jacket, and is also supplied with his iconic Liberty City Prison-issued jumpsuit. The Claude figure is equipped with an arsenal of classic weapons from Grand Theft Auto III, including a bat, knife, grenades, pistol, sniper rifle, and assault rifle. Rockstar Social Club members can enter to win one of three Claude action figures through October 16 by visiting www.rockstargames.com/socialclub*.
Grand Theft Auto III was originally released in October 2001 for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. It was the first three-dimensional, open-world Grand Theft Auto title and introduced players to the fictitious Liberty City. The game was released to critical and commercial success and is widely credited as one of the most influential video games of all time. Upon its release in 2001, Grand Theft Auto III delivered cinematic levels of immersion, an innovative approach to open-ended gameplay and an unprecedented fusion of gaming and popular culture.
Grand Theft Auto III was heralded by GameSpot1 as “easily one of the greatest games of all time.” In an article recognizing the most important games ever created, GamePro2 listed Grand Theft Auto III as their number one choice, declaring that “GTA III redefined how games are played, serving as a wake-up call to an industry that had fallen into a safe, sleepy rhythm.”
IGN3 lauded Grand Theft Auto III as one of the top ten most influential games of all time, stating “not many games can claim to have spawned entire genres, buzzwords, and cultural phenomena.”
GamesRadar4 praised Grand Theft Auto III as “the most important game of the decade” And more celebration came from G4TV5, dubbing the game, “An amazing experience, resulting in a classic crime drama.”
Grand Theft Auto III went on to become the highest-rated PlayStation 2 game of all time (Metacritic: 97), and the number one selling video game on console the year of its release, according to The NPD Group estimates of U.S. retail video game sales.
For more information, log onto www.rockstargames.com.
*No purchase necessary to enter. Void in certain countries and where prohibited. Must be 18 or older. Ends 10/16/11. See www.rockstargames.com/socialclub/events for complete official rules and eligibility details.
