The first in what I hope to be a long-line of downloadable content for Rockstar’s golden franchise, Grand Theft Auto has been priced! “The Lost and the Damned” is the first episode for Grand Theft Auto IV on the Xbox will launch on February 17th for 1600 points, which comes to around $20. Rumored to bring 10-20 hours of additional gameplay, The Lost and the Damned finds you taking up the role of Johnny Klebitz, a member of Liberty City’s local biker gang, The Lost.

Bikers! Nice! GTA: IV is a perfect environment for Hell’s Angels! Today Rockstar Games announced their first expansion for GTA:IV, “Lost and the Damned”, marking the first episode of downloadable content for the Xbox 360. The expansion sees a new main character and plot, which intersects with the main storyline and added multiplayer modes, weapons and vehicles. This will be huge!

New York, NY – November 20, 2008 – Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce that the eagerly anticipated first episode of downloadable content, Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned, will be coming to the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system via Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network. Available exclusively on Xbox LIVE worldwide on February 17, 2009, The Lost and Damned will feature all new content and is the first of two episodes announced for Grand Theft Auto IV on Xbox 360.

“Making these episodes has enabled us to expand the narrative and the experience of interacting with a game world in really innovative ways,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “We hope fans of the game enjoy the new way of experiencing life in Liberty City contained in this first episode.”

Since its launch in April, Grand Theft Auto IV has garnered unprecedented praise and acclaim worldwide. Developed by series creator Rockstar North and set in Liberty City, The Lost and Damned features a new main character and plot that intersects with the storyline of Grand Theft Auto IV; new missions that offer an entirely fresh way to explore Liberty City with new multiplayer modes, weapons and vehicles; and a diverse soundtrack with additional music – all with the incredible production values that are the trademarks of Grand Theft Auto.

Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned requires players to have the full version of Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE membership to download. Further details, including pricing, will be announced soon. For more information, please visit www.rockstargames.com/IV.

EA really wants Take-Two to hope aboard the mother-ship. So much so, they’ve extended their takeover offer deadline for the third time, this time giving Take-Two and their board until June 16th become one and plug in to the hive. Though EA still refuses to raise their offer of $25.74 a share for the Rockstar Games parent, many analysts are dropping the word that EA needs to suck it up and pony up a little bit more per share, in order to entice some of the more uncertain Take-Two stockholders. Take-Two recently hit paydirt again with the release of GTA IV, their trusty cash cow which seems to roll around every few years and a hundred million or so dollars later. (Via Gamasutra)

Rockstar Games, the sequel spewing machine behind Grand Theft Auto, Manhunt, Max Payne and other top franchises, has announced the long-awaited sequel to their urban racing series, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, for the Microsoft Xbox and Sony PS3.

Rockstar Games Announces Midnight Club: Los Angeles for PLAYSTATION�3 computer entertainment system and Xbox 360™
Fourth Installment of the Blockbuster Racing Franchise Unveiled

New York, NY – May 16, 2007 – Rockstar Games is proud to announce the fourth installment of its critically-acclaimed and genre-defining Midnight Club franchise, Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Developed by series creator Rockstar San Diego, Midnight Club: Los Angeles will be available for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and the PLAYSTATION 3 system in early 2008.

“Midnight Club’s addictive blend of freedom, style and sheer sense of speed sets it apart from its competition,” said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. “With Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Rockstar San Diego looks to once again push the boundaries and expectations of what a racing game can be. Rockstar San Diego has always been the technology leader in delivering the ultimate racing experience, and with this game, they are looking to re-define the idea of a completely immersive racing game experience, both offline and online.”

“On prior consoles, the Midnight Club franchise continually raised the bar for racing games, evolving from being the first ever street racing game to setting the defining standard for credibly integrating street racing culture with an intense racing experience,” said Jay Panek, Producer of the Midnight Club series. “With Midnight Club: Los Angeles, our goal is to evolve on all possible levels and stay true to the hardcore gaming experience the series is known for, while making it accessible to casual gamers and car enthusiasts.”

Consistently the most innovative, highest-rated street racing franchise, Midnight Club set the standard of what an open-world racing game can be. Midnight Club: Los Angeles will deliver a truly immersive next-generation racing experience that is second to none.

For more information about Midnight Club, please visit our website at http://www.rockstargames.com/

According to the GTA IV game details page on XBox.com, the new GTA IV trailer will appear today via the XBox Live Marketplace in high-definition! With the clock now ticking past 6 1/2 hours left to go, here’s to sitting back and watching Xbox Live crash and burn tonight.

Read more: GTA IV @ Xbox.com

It’s Rockstar day today and what better way to continue it than with the A-FUCKING-MAZING new Wired article examining Rockstar Games’ rise to fame and fortune riding on the success of Grand Theft Auto and the pocket books of Take 2 Games and their perceived fall from grace. Providing a rare inside glimpse into the inner-workings of Rockstar on a corporate level, David Kushner does an excellent job of analyzing the many mistakes that have occurred in Rockstar management and asking the important question, can Rockstar, minus many of their crucial team members, keep the GTA brand alive and well?

Read more: The Road to Ruin

The countdown is well underway for the unveiling of the new Grand Theft Auto IV trailer from Rockstar Games. At the moment, the clock is ticking past 14h 31m 02s before millions of sandbox gaming fans around the world will get a glimpse of the future of the GTA franchise. I’m sure it’s no secret that Rockstar and Take 2 have a lot riding on this game, with the talk of a selloff of their parent company lighting up the games gossip circuit, this trailer better be 3-8 minutes of non-stop debauchery and action that would make Jack Thompson proud. Let’s just hope it shows some actual in-game footage.

Countdown: GTA IV trailer

An official statement from Take 2 has pointed out that an alternative course to the company’s sale has yet to be found, meaning that a potential gold rush will possibly be occurring over Take 2’s assets, namely GTA developer, Rockstar Games. An alternative seems unlikely at this point, with the statement going on to reveal that the board of directors believe that it is unlikely to present an alternative (to the sale) before the next general board meeting occurring March 29th, though discussions are ongoing. Time for Microsoft to open up that wallet, though the company has stated in the past it has no desire to purchase Take 2, I can see a healthy bidding war for the rights to Grand Theft Auto.

EDIT: I promise I’ll be brushing up on my native language (English) shortly ;)

Read more: Take 2 board has no alternative (yet) but sale

Take-Two announced recently that it is evaluating new strategies, including the possible sale of the company, as an investor group continues it’s power grab of the Rockstar Games publisher. The announcement, which comes after TTWO postponed it’s annual board meeting is causing a little jump in the company’s stock price, causing investors around the world to hover their finger over that little “Sell” button.

Read more: Take-Two considering alternative strategies

Ah how the mighty have fallen. If anyone was ever interested in what a (rumored) corporate power grab from a mother company to it’s prodigal son would produce, this is it. Rockstar Games has announced the release of their web-based music sampling and creation toy, Beaterator, for the PSP, complete with a celebrity name attached, that being hot (as in mainstream hot) Timbaland. No word on if the beats provided by Timbaland will feature any obscure Finnish demo scene samples.

Press release after the jump..

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