Grand Theft Auto V Might Be Released in Late 2012 Due to Max Payne 3 Delay

The recent delay of Max Payne 3, which is now scheduled to appear in May this year, has prompted quite a few analysts to speculate that Rockstar’s other big game, Grand Theft Auto V, will be released at the end of 2012.

Max Payne 3 was initially set for release in March so, after Rockstar confirmed that it was working on GTA V, analysts speculated that the open world game could arrive as early as May or June, traditionally a release period chosen by Rockstar Games.

Now, seeing as how Max Payne 3 will be released in May, analysts believe Rockstar and Take-Two Interactive, its publishing partner, will opt to release Grand Theft Auto V at the end of the year.

"It seems unlikely that Rockstar Games would launch both Max Payne 3 and GTA 5 in the month on May. Therefore, we have shifted our original expectation for GTA V to launch in May 2012, into the Company's 2013 fiscal second-half operating period,” National Alliance Capital Markets analyst Mike Hickey told Game Informer.

"We remain confident GTA V will ship in calendar year 2012, based on an assumption that Rockstar is using a sub 12 month marketing window for GTA V and the company's fiscal 2013 performance guidance, which would suggest the game's release."

Other analysts, like EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich or Wedbush Securities’ Michael Pachter believe Rockstar will continue to avoid the crowded winter holiday season, so Grand Theft Auto V might be released in the first few months of 2013.

"[Take-Two] are still saying they will achieve $2.00 earnings per share in fiscal 2013, so Grand Theft Auto V has to come out by March 2013," Divnich said.

"Although GTA V may still launch in FY:13, predicting the actual release date is difficult due to a crowded pipeline,” Pachter admitted. “I don't know if [Max Payne's delay] means a full year gap, but very likely six months. Too bad, as I think Grand Theft Auto V would benefit from giving Call of Duty some breathing room."

What do you think? Should Grand Theft Auto V be released before the holiday season, to compete with the likes of Call of Duty and other blockbuster games or should it make its appearance in early 2013?