Rumours started last week as to the possibility of delays to the launch of Grand Theft Auto IV, one of the most highly anticipated games of the year, and now mouthy games industry analyst Michael Pachter has put in his two cents.

The Wedbush Morgan analyst has said that Take Two might opt for a 2008 release in order to raise its financial results for 2008.

With a current October 16 launch, fans are sure to be disappointed with a delay but Pachter explained, "We believe that it is possible that the company will choose to throw in the towel on financial year 07 by shifting the release date for Grand Theft Auto IV by a few weeks, increasing the losses incurred this year and improving the company’s prospects for financial year 08".

Pachter went on to comment that increasing the gap between the release of GTA IV and Halo 3 would be good for both game’s sales, though 2 weeks would be sufficient rather than a number of months as a 2008 release would be.
The situation will become clearer on June 11 when Take Two’s Q2 financial results are known.