Awesome cant wait to see this if it is true!

[i]'if true, it would be the first Grand Theft Auto title to feature such a significant multiplayer aspect to the game, as previous titles required the use of user created modifications to the PC versions for online play.'[/i]

/cough Vice City Stories

How do you modify Vice city stories to go online anyway?

also GTA 2, but no one remembers the first three games on the GTA name.

This game will be HUGE, not like I needed this article to tell me that though. =P

Finally Multiplayer returns to GTA.

This has the workings to be a great game. Just hope everything plays smoothly, though.

I noticed that link on the website too. However nothing on the site works so who knows how multiplayer it will be.

@Marooner: Yeah I used to play GTA2 with my friends. That was good times. I actually liked the first two a lot more than the 3d ones that followed, but I'm sure that puts me in the minority.

The original GTA had multiplayer.

I just hope it's not like the Saint's Row multi. For some reason, I found that to be sooo boring. Then again, it's GTA, so I'm sure they're working hard to make sure that it'll be addictive and not suck. Hopefully they will implement some kind of COD4-style RPG/levelling up elements into the online multi. If so, I'm totally sold.

That's nice, I just hope the co-op's a general multiplayer free for all wanderfest a la Crackdown. You could just make up your own modes. Gonna have a lot of fun with this one...

When a FPS has those multiplayer modes People are quick to yell "generic." But when GTA has them *slurp* *slurp* *cup* *tickle* *slurp* *swallow*....

The PSP games had great multi-player modes. I know most did not play these games but the modes described in the rumor sound similar to the modes in the PSP games.

[www.youtube.com] for the whole deal

Yeah, that second part of the sentence shouldn't have been there. Stupid DICE!

I'm excited for Co-op, everything else is kinda 'meh' for me.

@NumberONE: What do those sounds mean! AAAAAGH my innocent ears!

Honestly, I care nothing about the multiplayer. I might try it someday but the only thing I'm interested in at the moment is playing through the story.

Hopefully this doesn't take away from the real part of the game.

anyways... It all sounds good.

I love the GTA games. I think that what adds to their popularity is that people can appreciate it on so many different levels. This just adds to the long list guess. I always go back to the GTA games, sometimes for the story or sometimes just to run over a bunch of peds.

Amen Brothers!

I really hope this game is co-op. Me and my best friend love this game and if we can experience it together that would be the best. In fact it may actually make me stop playing every other game and play this for the rest of the year.

i remember it saying 16p online at one time or another. can't wait! it'll be like Burnout online too probably.

GTA = WIN!

All of these delays, I hope the multiplayer portion is not just slapped on there.

Here's one game that doesn't interest me in the slightest.

GTA1 is still an awesome LAN game. GTA2 had some pretty severe netcode issues.

Liberty City Stories & Vice City Stories PSP versions both had extensive online modes didnt they??

GTA1 had incredible multiplayer. Why does it never get any love. People somehow forget that gta3 was the 3rd installment.....

and the first three (1, london, 2) were excellent

@poplin: I doubt it's that they forget; it's more likely that they never knew.

This is going to be awesome =) GTA mmo sometime?

This is so cool. I was really hoping they would put this in after putting it in the psp games. I'm so excited for this game. To bad I'll be playing Brawl for so long.

@poplin:
Maybe by you. I didn't really get into GTA until Vice City (which I still play). The others weren't interesting, especially the overhead view 2d ones.

I thought it was old news that it was going to have a large multiplayer component?

Man, a GTA MMO would be the coolest thing ever.

i'll just get the ps3 version instead. I don't to pay DLC stuff.

@Korlis:

Did you even read the post? We're all aware that MP was going to be there, we just didn't have any details on what it comprised of. Now we have some specifics on what they might be. We never had this info before = Not old news.

@dexterr: Edit, I don't want to pay for DLC stuff.

@ssjmichael: Yes, I did read the post - did you? "Based on the newly launched Grand Theft Auto IV web site, we know that the game has some sort of multiplayer component." That wasn't the first time that it was mentioned; at least the prospect of co op has been knocking around for some time. Yes, the point of this news story is that there's now a bit more confirmation of that, but it's mostly just possible names.

I love GTA in all its incarnations, but it really disappoints me that they're including any kind of multiplayer in the new game. For me, it's all about your character's story in the GTA world, progressing through missions... a haphazard multiplayer may have worked for the earlier titles -- but to earn the title GTA now, for me, you need STRUCTURE, you need STORY. Rockstar are going to have to work REALLY hard to make multiplayer anything other than a gimmick this time around.

* having said the above, co-op is an exception I would love to see implemented...

@playclever: I absolutely agree that (well, in Vice City and San Andreas, at least) a big draw of the game is the storyline and progression through it, but multiplayer seems an important part of keeping the game fresh once that's actually over. Me and my friend had a lot of fun just messing around with San Andreas' limited two player long after completing the main game. If there's the possibility of having that kind of freedom to play around in a GTA world, online, I'd be very glad if that was in there.

I am kind of interested in the team based head to head battles to see how people make use of the open world. Deathmatch seems like a horrible waste of time though if the aiming/targeting system sucks like it has in previous GTA games.

But will it be split screen? I am bothered by the recent lack of split screen in favor of online multiplayer only). I know it gets downgraded but I still want split screen! Even if there is a distance limit I want my split screen. :)

No Co-op please. I like the tight story that Rockstar wields. Maybe a few missions where you are tied together like in San Andreas. A full on co-op would make me upset.

If this is the "xbox exclusive content" I need to know so I can change my ps3 ver to a 360 ver. I doubt it but...you never know

@jackal888: When I think 'co op' for a GTA title I'm not expecting something Gears of War-esque (being stuck with an NPC sidekick all the time, or someone else actually following through the story), just the ability to simultaneously move around in the world; basically how the goal-free 2 player in San Andreas worked.

Though if someone could drop in and take over a friendly NPC during some missions, that might be interesting.

@jackal888: If its optional why should you care. A lot of people love to play with other people or friends. Especially if half your friends list is from Kotaku-ites.

I wouldn't mind this. Hopefully it can be a 4 player co op or something. It would make me go buy the game NAO. what the game isn't out? Well ill wait.

that would be sweet.

i can guarantee this game would have a huge community even years after release

No co-op would be weak. I don't even care if its two Nikos, I'm all for it.

A "deep" multiplayer is something like full game co-op or online leveling and customization, not just a mixed bag of Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch variants.

Didn't Sam Houser say a while ago that it wouldn't just be Deathmatch? If this is what he's going to deliver, I'm voting for a new Moleneux to be crowned .

Bomb the Bass is an awesome song, especially the Chemical Brothers' remix...

...oh wait...bomb the BASE...nevermind.

Just give us Multi-player Free Roam...everything else is secondary.

I'm pumped. Rockstar has been saying they were going to include some sort of multi-player all along. Whatever it is I just hope its good and not some extra crap just thrown in to say it has multi. I want it to be fleshed out and well done. I hope its co-op, deathmatch and vs. driving to be honest. The more multi the better, as long as its quality and not crap.

Hopefully it is, they have had extra time with the game and lets hope it was long enough to add everything they wanted including a nice multi to the game.

We already know the single is gonna be good fun, its a GTA game and it always is.

I'm disappointed that it doesn't mention full-on co-op, just extra co-op specific missions. I was hoping at least for a "sandbox mode" multiplayer.

Since it seems nobody here played multi-player in Liberty City Stories or Vice City Stories. The games played like this you picked an island and you got to run around free-form and kill your opponent. There was still traffic and pedestrians.There were missions like capture the limo where you stole your opponents limo and got it back to your base. they had steal cars on a list mode and deathmatch modes.

I don't get how people expect co-op for regular missions. GTA is story driven and relies on a main character. In order to have some form of co-op they'd need to make a completely different story and character. That implies a complete rehauling of missions that are typically tailored to one person. Do you guys have an idea the amount of resources that would require.

Now I could see thm making optional co-op missions. Say when you're manning the gun, someone else is controllng the vehicle, but that's about it. Please don't expect full co-op for a game like this, it makes no sense.

If its true and GTAIV has a good co-op mode, then this may be the first GTA title I purchase. Ive played GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas, but I didnt really like them that much. They were cool for the first hour or so, but after that they would just become boring. Heres to hoping this game has a great multiplayer!!

its not just "co-op" that is important.

...its ONLINE co-op.

if theres one thing i'm sick of from previous generations... its split screen.

if im going to play with others, we all need our own screens to look at. thats my opinion anyways.

I'm expecting co-op along the lines of the PSP titles, but here's to hoping it's more.

@Crux117:

San Andreas... Yeah the targeting sucks, some of the missions are boring, aggravating or broken. But as a whole: the story, characters, experience; it's one of the best games ever.

@Aeralindor: GTA2 was a favorite for lans.

Someone would get a tank, and suddendly it became lets see how many of us can kill him for the next 20 minutes.

good times.

Online multiplayer is going to be the reason to get this game. The multi-theft auto mod for SA was great. Riding shotgun while someone else is driving in the gta world, fighting others doing the same, is quite the unique experience and the next natural evolution of the franchise. If they flesh this out into a full on battlefield 1942 like experience, where people join sides in a gang turf war complete with innocent bystanders / cops, that = win.