It should come as no surprise that the Grand Theft Auto V rumor mill is already churning, and rather than make a frantic and rushed news post every time something new surfaces, we've decided to summarize our findings in a series of rumor roundups which will be featured sporadically as more rumors make their way around teh intarwebz. Keep in mind that nothing has been confirmed other than what has been released by Rockstar Games themselves.

First up is probably the only rumor that has the potential to be true. Started by Jimmy Taenaka on Twitter, actor Ned Luke is suspected of being the face and voice of GTAV's protagonist. Luke bears a striking visual resemblance to the middle-aged man seen in the GTA V Trailer, and after watching his demo reel his voice is similar to that of the trailer's narrator.

Next, many online retailers have already listed GTAV available for pre-order, and some of them have even listed an estimated ship date. Walmart claims the game will ship to customers on June 1st, 2012, while VideoGameCentral.com estimates July 18th. There has also been a huge buzz around May 24th (which also happens to be Dan Houser's birthday), mostly due to this house's address of 2405 as seen in the trailer. What do you think the release date will be?

Finally - and most recently - a map, a screenshot, and even a video have been the newest talk, most of which coming to light not even 24 hours ago. The video was immediately shot down by RockstarEngine on Twitter, saying it "is completely fake...this is not our work", the screenshot looks to be a modified PC version of GTA4, and the map and accompanying menus appear to lack the polish and detail that is typical of Rockstar's latest in-game interfaces.

In response to these rumors, Rockstar Games issued the following statement:

The first official Grand Theft Auto V trailer is out! After you watch it, see below the video for a detailed breakdown including screen captures as we point out things that you might have missed!


Story Hints:
The main character, whose voice and appearance are both a striking resemblance to that of an older Toni Cipriani, moved to San Andreas because of "that thing" or "that line of work" that he wanted to retire from and "be a good guy for once" - hinting at a mafia-based story or backstory and further supporting our idea that Toni Cipriani may be the main character. He wanted to just "put his feet up" and speaks being a dad "like all the other dads" and raising his kids, like somebody trying to escape from his past life of crime. A scene in the trailer however shows him and two accomplices dressed as exterminators (Bugstars Pest Control of Los Santos - "Putting the FU in fumigate") robbing a jewelry store.

Observations:

• The very first scene shows a dog on the beach.
• There is a much wider variety of pedestrian models, and the detail has been vastly improved.
• There are blimps seen flying in the sky during multiple scenes.
• People are playing golf, which leads to the possibility of a golf mini-game.
• Jet skis appear to be pilotable vehicles.
• Hikers with backpacks full of equipment are seen climbing up a mountain trail, suggesting a vast area of the map to explore
• The driver of a sports car is witnessed operating its retractable convertible top.
• Vehicle license plates clearly say "San Andreas" and each vehicle has a unique plate number.
• A close-up of this license plate reveals a registration sticker in the upper left corner that says OCT. This is seen on other vehicles as well, maybe hinting at an October 2012 release?
• Many new and redesigned returning vehicles.
• The ability to use a cropdusting plane looks to be back.
• Construction signs and traffic cones appear in the streets and on the sidewalks, perhaps these will be dynamic events controlled by the game's internal calendar.
• A man is seen hammering a for sale sign into the front lawn of a house that has been foreclosed. The yard is strewn with detailed garbage cans, a child's bicycle, and even a garden hose. This also could possibly hint at the ability to purchase property.
• A jetfighter screams through the air between skyscrapers, afterburners glowing.
• The usual "Protect and Serve" mantra of the police force is replaced with "Obey and Survive."
• An airplane flies over the Vinewood sign and then off into the sunset to conclude the first trailer.

Screen Captures:

View the entire gallery

Not to overshadow yesterday's long-awaited announcement of Grand Theft Auto V, today marks 10 years since GTA Warehouse started on October 26^th, 2001. To denote each year, we've outfitted the banner at the top of the page with 10 wanted stars. I assume when you cause that much mayhem, the cops stop chasing you and your television does to you what Stan's computer does to him in the Facebook episode of South Park.

Although I have been running this site for roughly the past 9 ¹/₂ years, the first 8 months or so of GTA Warehouse's existence are credited to the original owner and creator, Josh Powers of San Antonio, Texas (if you happen to read this, for fucks sake, email me back).


Josh's initial investment into a GTA3 fan site, originally located at www.gta3warehouse.com, eventually earned him recognition from Rockstar Games by the time GTA3 for PC had been released, as indicated by the site's inclusion in a list of "Fansite Thanks" in the GTA3 PC instruction manual. Once the original site went offline, I managed to regroup 18 other original members to form a new site, and began recreating what Josh had started. Eventually, we'd earn the same recognition from Rockstar as Josh had, with GTA Warehouse's website address subsequently being listed in the Vice City and San Andreas instruction manuals as well.

Taken a few large steps further, we've been one of the select few GTA fan sites whom Rockstar have invited to attend special events in New York City and Los Angeles dating back to the week before GTA4's release in April 2008. These experiences have been some of the best in my life, thanks largely in part to the unparalleled level of hospitality shown to us by Rockstar Games.

Like most websites, we've struggled with our fair share of different web hosts overs the years, easily exceeding bandwidth limitations due to the growing popularity of the site. We were lucky enough to be picked up by Matt Holme of Soccergaming.com back in 2005, whom we've happily been with ever since.

When I think back on all that has transpired in the past decade, and how many seemingly insignificant events eventually had such a large impact on the site, it is hard to digest how far GTA Warehouse has come - from Josh's spare-time side project, into one of the biggest and longest-lasting GTA fan sites online today - it proves that passion in what you do gets you things and brings you places others can only dream of.

To everybody who has been trusting GTA Warehouse as their source of information on Grand Theft Auto since October 26^th, 2001, I thank you, and I leave you with one question: What do you want to steal today?

Just days after the 10th anniversary of Grand Theft Auto 3, Rockstar Games via their front page have announced Grand Theft Auto V. While no other information has been given regarding locations, characters, or era, there is the promise of a trailer on the 2nd of November and the following logo. Until that time let the speculation begin!

Rockstar is hosting a Grand Theft Auto IV: Complete Edition multiplayer event tomorrow, October 21^st, from 5:00-8:00pm EST on Playstation Network. During that time you'll have the chance to enter to win a Grand Theft Auto III Anniversary prize pack, including:

• Two hand painted, limited edition and individually numbered custom Grand Theft Auto PlayStation 3 controllers, complete with a laser-cut Rockstar insignia home button
• One GTAIII Anniversary Limited-Edition Claude Action Figure
• One Grand Theft Auto III mug, complete with brass knuckles for the handle
• Two Grand Theft Auto t-shirts
• Assorted Grand Theft Auto and Rockstar stickers

While Rockstar will be on PSN, members of the GTA community such as myself, Adam of GTANet and Chris from The GTA Place, will be participating in our own GTA mayhem by means of XboxLIVE. Be sure to send a friend request to gtawh and look for us tomorrow night! Rockstar even gave us a shout-out on their newswire: