Take Two Interactive’s CEO has announced that Grand Theft Auto IV has officially gone gold and that copies will be shipping out to retailers next week.

The CEO was quoted in saying that the “trucks [will be] rolling next week, and there will be a lot of them”.

Rockstar games has finally announced the release date for its upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV. The chosen date is April 29, 2008.

Next-generation Console Debut of the Grand Theft Auto Franchise Set for April 29, 2008

New York, NY – January 24, 2008 – Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce the release date for Grand Theft Auto IV, the new title in the genre-defining Grand Theft Auto franchise. Developed by Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto IV will be simultaneously available for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system and will be in stores worldwide on April 29, 2008.

“We are so excited to be releasing Grand Theft Auto IV,” said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. “We’ve pushed ourselves very hard to make something incredible and hope the game sets a new benchmark for interactive entertainment.”

For more information, log onto http://www.rockstargames.com/IV

“Life is complicated. I’ve killed people. I’ve smuggled people. Sold people. Perhaps here, things will be different.”

The brand new trailer for GTA IV is out in the wild now. http://www.rockstargames.com/IV/ is the official page but it is down at the moment. It is also available at http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=2924.

If you are a fan of the series you NEED to check this out. While it is short (just over a minute) it is jaw dropping to say the least.

It seems it will take place in Liberty City again and if the trailer is 100% in-game footage (which RockStar usually does) then this has the making of a beautiful game. I seriously hope RockStar can get its servers up and get us some info. I might just have to buy a next-gen console to play this game.

Finally, the Half-Life saga can be played on-line, multiplayer, all vehicles, and with additional modes that extend the gameplay beyond mere single-player and Deathmatch combined! This demo release contains the full Canals levels (Chapters 3 and 4), and illustrates both the playability of the Co-Operative Mode, and the sheer ruthless fun of Racing Mode, with up to six friends

This seems like a really cool idea, hopefully they don’t screw it up. You can download it at FilePlanet.

With the XBOX 360 already out in force, the PS3 and Wii on the way, who will come out victorious? They all have their positives and negatives but I think that the price of the system will play a major role in this. What do you think?

[poll=3]