Rockstar have announced that the PS3 and PC versions of GTA IV’s DLC, Episodes From Liberty City has been delayed till April. In a statement on Rockstar’s official website, It mentions that the game was delayed for the PS3 due to Sony wanting to edit certain parts of the DLC which includes in-game Liberty City radio station, television, and internet content. Episodes From Liberty City will now be released on April 13th in North America and April 16th in Europe. Below is the official statement from Rockstar –
Due to a last minute game submission request from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe to edit some of the in-game Liberty City radio station, television, and internet content – we are forced to delay the worldwide release of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City for both PlayStation 3 and PC for an extra two weeks.
The new release date for Episodes from Liberty City – and the two downloadable episodes The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony – on those platforms is now April 13th in North America and April 16th in Europe. This new date will enable us to rectify these changes for Sony Europe, and still allow for a level playing field for all of the Grand Theft Auto fans that have been waiting patiently for this release. In the meantime, we’re moving full speed ahead towards the new game release date. On that note – please be aware that the Grand Theft Auto IV PlayStation 3 leaderboards at Rockstar Games Social Club will be down for maintenance for one week starting March 22nd as we work on their re-launch in support of Episodes from Liberty City.
Below are answers to some additional questions that we know some of you may have…
Those game changes sound pretty minor. Why does the game have to be delayed a whole two weeks?
Unfortunately, with each round of changes comes fully re-testing the game and a full re-submission to PlayStation. This is the nature of the game submission process. Believe us, if we could expedite the turnaround any sooner – we would. We are dying to get this game in the hands of fans who’ve waited for it for so long in the first place.Why is content being edited just for the European release? This doesn’t seem fair.
There are different regional requirements for content – whether dictated by ratings boards like the ESRB and BBFC or by SCEE – this is pretty standard in the world of entertainment.
If this content is only being edited for the PlayStation 3 release, and only in Europe… why does everyone in North America etc have to wait? And why do PC players have to wait at all?
This was a tough decision but with a simultaneous release, everyone can experience multiplayer simultaneously, take part in online events together, be on level ground on leaderboards, etc.What about those Episodes from Liberty City PSN and GFWL Social Club multiplayer events you announced for April 2nd and 3rd?
The first Episodes events for those systems will now be on April 16th and 17th. We will most likely replace the originally scheduled early April events with one for another game. Any requests?Any other questions, please feel to leave in the Comments area and we’ll do our best to answer. While this sort of thing may be commonplace in the world of interactive entertainment, we know that game delays are as disappointing to you all as they are to us – and we thank all of our fans immensely for their patience and understanding.
Rockstar Games
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