Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars Announced

Kris Erickson • Jul 15, 2008 • Comments ()

One of the most interesting anouncements made during the Nintendo press briefing at E3 today was not for the Wii but for the DS. Evidently Rockstar Games is planning a Grand Theft Auto spinoff for the handheld, called Chinatown Wars. The story this time will be focused on a triad crime syndicate. In another press release today, Rockstar founder Sam Houser described the project:

"This is a game that will deliver a rich, fast-paced and intense 'Grand Theft Auto' experience that will be truly unique to Nintendo's handheld platform. Rockstar Leeds, along with the team at Rockstar North, has built upon a decade of progressive design on Grand Theft Auto, and has created something fundamentally fresh and immersive."

According to Rockstar, Chinatown Wars will feature the same kind of open-world mechanic made famous by other entries in the series. The game will also make heavy use of the touch screen input for navigation. Other than these few tidbits of information, nothing else is known about the game, which is expected to arrive this winter. An official website is up for the title, which can be viewed here.