Take-Two CEO clarifies GTA exclusivity

Following the announcement of a pack featuring Grand Theft Auto 3 and its sequel, Vice City, for the Xbox this Christmas, Take-Two CEO Jeffery Lapin has clarified the situation regarding console exclusivity for the franchise.

Speaking on a financial conference call following the announcement of the publisher's results, Lapin explained that Take-Two has amended its exclusivity deal with Sony, which had previously prevented the games from appearing on any console other than the PS2.

However, the contract still covers the next instalment in the Grand Theft Auto series, which Lapin refused to go into detail over - confirming only that the next game will be on the PlayStation 2 (not the PlayStation 3 as has been speculated by some commentators) and will have an unspecified period of exclusivity on that platform.

Lapin also stated that Take-Two currently has no plans to bring the series to Nintendo's GameCube, but will continue to evaluate the system and will release the next instalment of the franchise on other platforms after the exclusivity period ends, assuming that doing so is "financially prudent".

On the topic of the PSP, Lapin said that Take-Two currently has no solid plans to support the device, but is evaluating it to determine if any of the company's portfolio of titles would suit it. "In the end, I think it's likely some of our titles will end up on the PSP," he stated.