GTA IV to support 16-person multiplayer

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 17th October 2007

16-person multiplayer could be on the cards for GTA IV, but on which console remains to be seen.

Grand Theft Auto is a franchise which has seen phenomenal growth over the last decade, evolving from a top-down shooter with an indie following to a next-gen third person sandbox shooter/racer with possible support for 16-person multiplayer.

Although multiplayer GTA has been around for a while on the PC thanks to some canny hacks and modding, Rockstar itself hasn't built a multiplayer version of a GTA since Grand Theft Auto 2. Now though, Rockstar is apparently going to have another bash at it and will try to grab one of the Holy Grails of gaming - multiplayer sandbox with a story.

Rockstar dropped the bombshell at a recent Sony event and, according to GamingExcellence.com, Rockstar has set its sights a tad above the idea of a simple deathmatch clone. 16-person multiplayer is more what Rockstar has in mind, apparently.

All we need now is some co-op, ok Rockstar? Then all other games will become obsolete.

What isn't clear at the moment is exactly which platform the multiplayer is being built for, or if it's going to be good to go on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The PS3 is a more powerful machine and the announcement was made at a Sony event, but the Xbox 360 has an arguably larger online following and wider consumer base at the moment.

Either way, it's a long way off yet and the game isn't going to be out until next year.

Which is your favourite GTA game and why? Is the series over-hyped, or a genuine innovation? Let us know what you think in the forums.