Grand Theft Auto IV hits the web

Pirate copies of Grand Theft Auto IV have been spotted on BitTorrent file-sharing sites, according to reports.

Illegal copies of the Xbox 360 version have been posted by a group calling themselves iCON. The game is officially released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 formats on Tuesday 29 April.

The download is a PAL version of the game, which means it can only be played by gamers in the UK and parts of Asia, South America and Africa. Rumours on the web suggest that a NTSC version of the game, which would be available to play in the US, Canada and Japan, will be leaked soon.

Pre-orders of Grand Theft Auto IV, which is the ninth game in the GTA series, have hit record levels. It is expected to sell six million copies worldwide, becoming the biggest-selling game ever.

Matt Henderson, director of software and video games for Amazon.co.uk, said:
"Grand Theft Auto IV is on track to be the biggest video game release in Amazon.co.uk history, with shipments expected to exceed those of any previous video game title by the end of release week."

"Based on pre-sale indications, Amazon.co.uk predicts sales of Grand Theft Auto IV will be 30 per cent bigger than those for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas."

Watch Grand Theft Auto IV trailers and clips at the game's official site

www.rockstargames.com/IV
www.amazon.co.uk