Following a leak that spread this past weekend, Rockstar has formally announced Grand Theft Auto V’s release date. It’s coming in the spring of 2013, and not so surprisingly, the company’s “focus” is on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. What about PC, you ask? Well, by this point, it’s become clear that Rockstar simply has little interest in the PC as a gaming platform, and when it does release games for it, what we get feels like the result of someone dragging their feet through the mud. Anyone who’s played GTA IV can attest to this.
For further proof that Rockstar couldn’t care less about the PC, look at Red Dead Redemption. This game, by far, has been one of the most requested games I’ve seen from PC gamers, yet Rockstar couldn’t be stuffed to port it over. Sure, the game likely would sell more on the console overall, but the demand on the PC side was strong enough to make it work Rockstar’s while.
Instead, we got L.A. Noire, which is in all respects a great game, but not what PC gamers wanted. It could be argued that the reason for this was that the game wasn’t developed by Rockstar, but instead Team Bondi, but the PC port was in fact made possible by Rockstar; Rockstar Leeds to be exact. So why not port over a hugely desired game and appease the fans and your revenue? I just don’t get it.
Regardless, in making its GTA V announcement, Rockstar didn’t seem too kind to those complaining about the lack of a PC focus, even going as far as banning those who were making a big stink about it:
“Hey guys, glad to see so much enthusiasm about the release announcement. For those asking about the PC platform, we’re currently focused on the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game and don’t have any details to share about a PC version at this time. Anyone that continues to spam the comments section will have their commenting privileges suspended.“
That’s a great attitude if I’ve ever seen one.