GTA IV’s PS3 version to have multiplayer support after all

It’s certainly bad enough that the PS3 version of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360, PS3) won’t be getting the episodic downloadable content promised on the Xbox 360 release of the game. To complicate things a bit further, Microsoft‘s Vice President of Interactive Entertainment Don Mattrick mentioned that the multiplayer elements of the game might even possibly be an Xbox 360 exclusive. Find out more about the upcoming title’s different features in the full article.

During the latest Major Nelson podcast featured on the Xbox Live website, Microsoft‘s Vice President of Interactive Entertainment Don Mattrick mentioned that the multiplayer elements of Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV (Xbox 360, PS3) might possibly be an Xbox 360 exclusive.

While discussing the details for the upcoming title’s Xbox 360 version, he let slip a subtle comment which may lead many to believe that the game’s multiplayer support will be an exclusive feature on Microsoft’s next-gen console. He was quoted saying:

It’s an amazing piece of software, and I’m really excited with its downloadable content and online multiplayer support – again, that’s something that’s unique to 360. We think consumers are going to love that, and it’s going to create what I would describe, again, as the premium experience on our platform.

However, it was confirmed that this rather confusing statement was merely an honest mix-up on Mattrick’s part. Rockstar made a follow up statement to CVG saying that “both versions of Grand Theft Auto IV will have an online multiplayer component”.

PS3 players should breathe a sigh of relief now and be content with the fact that all the major features will still make it on both versions of the game. The only real difference between the two consoles would be the episodic downloadable content which was confirmed to be an Xbox 360 exclusive.

In any case, everyone should be expecting Grand Theft Auto IVto hit stores this April 29. In the meantime, make sure to keep coming back for more updates from the game as we get them.

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