14 DAY TRIAL // Take Two Interactive has registered five new websites that cannot be linked directly to any of its well-known video game properties and have names that could be associated with the Grand Theft Auto franchise, suggesting that an announcement about the fifth game in the series is being prepared.
The five sites that are registered are:
CashForDeadDreams.com SixFigureTemps.com StopPayingYourMortgage.net HammersteinFaust.com LifeInvader.com
The theme here seems to be the unraveling of the American dream and the last site suggests that the story in the new Grand Theft Auto game might focus on repossession of goods, a business which really took off during the economic downturn.
Rockstar has a habit of registering real life addresses for the fictional companies and entities that are present in their games and the company could make an announcement about GTA V via the backdoor by using one of these.
They can also be used to tease long time fans about the new game before an official trailer and press release but there's also the possibility that Take Two is just misleading those who are obsessively watching for new information on GTA V.
Analysts are expecting to see an official announcement about Grand Theft Auto V before the end of this year, probably at the E3 trade show in June, with some pointing to the fact that a contract between Rockstar and Take Two ends in January 2012 as a sign that the game needs to be officially in development before that point.
The future of the GTA series is also uncertain because of the rumored interest from publisher Activision Blizzard, who is apparently ready to make a big for Take Two in order to gain access to the development talent at Rockstar.
Grand Theft Auto IV was a huge hit and spawned two extra content packs focusing on Liberty City and the developers of Rockstar might have a challenge on their hands when trying to surpass that level of quality with GTA V.