Grand Theft Auto IV Delay Partly Due to PS3

Rockstar says the Sony PS3 was a "contributing factor" in the delay of Grand Theft Auto IV last fall.

"It's really no surprise to anybody that the PS3 was definitely a contributing factor to [the delay]," said Jeronimo Barrera, vice president of product development for Rockstar, in an interview with MTV News.

He added, "That's not to say there's anything wrong with the PS3 version. It's awesome... Now, we're neck and neck" -- meaning that both versions are identical, something that presumably wasn't possible for the original fall 2007 release.

The PS3 has long been the elephant in the room with regards to multiplatform development. In August 2007, Sony confirmed to GamePro that the technical benefits of PS3 hardware often come at the cost of a steeper learning curve when coding games.

Grand Theft Auto IV, easily one of the most anticipated games of this generation, is scheduled for release on PS3 and Xbox 360 on April 29.