Report: Grand Theft Auto: City Stories “Coming Soon” to PS Vita, Box Art Leaked

According to various reports seen around the web, Take Two filed a trademark for the term “City Stories”, seemingly referring to the subtitle found in the two Grand Theft Auto PSP games, respectively entitled Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories.

[MrSwankSinatra]

Listen as much as i love those games, can we get new games please?? We just got ports of borderlands 2, god of war and recently ratchet and clank collection has been rated by the ESRB for vita (which adds to the port pile) & now GTA ports of Liberty City/Vice City stories. This is not what i expected when i bought a vita.

[Tyrus_91]

I think the article is referring to Take-Two filing for the 'City Stories' trademark. The news doesn't necessarily refer to an update of the two previous PSP games, so it could be a new title or just a proactive renewal.

If it IS a port update of Liberty and Vice City stories for Vita, though... that'd suck.

[theshonen8899]

I'm tired of this. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and PO+ sold almost 2 million. Chains of Olympus sold 3 million, Crisis Core 3 million.

What do we get despite this? Metal Gear HD, God of War collection, FF-X HD.

This is absolutely ridiculous. All these developers release a port in order to "test" sales on the Vita and lo' and behold, they get dismal results. What the hell were they expecting? Liberty City Stories sold 7 MILLION COPIES on the PSP and drove the PSP's sales. If Rockstar made a new game just for the Vita, surely it would surpass the 1m mark Assassin's Creed Liberation got.

[Mr_Writer85]

Yeah but the PSP sold like 10 times what the Vita has sold.

Until that install base gets bigger, and until the games start selling why would a developer spend time and money on a new IP/ new spin off just for it to sell 30k units?

[Mr Pumblechook]

@theshonen8899 You hit the nail on the head. Ports won't do it because most Vita owners will have access to the superior home console version, and if you have a PS4 then via Remote Play you can play the superior home console version.

What Vita needs is unique games, perhaps in the same universe as bigger titles. Eg AC Liberation with Aveline sold nearly 1 million. An inFamous game or Watch Dog game with different characters could also do well. Hopefully this rumoured GTA game is exactly that. New characters and adventures.

[masa2009]

Unfortunately, look at the numbers.
Other than Uncharted, Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty, all blockbuster franchises of the highest order, nothing sold really well on the Vita.

And about the only other titles whose sales were barely acceptable were Japan-centric games like God Eater 2 or Soul Sacrifice, which owe a large chunk of their sales to that market.

That's simply not a very encouraging climate for publishers to invest in AAA Western-style games on the Vita.

Ubi probably only did AC3L because they had prexisting assets, used their cheapo Bulgarian studio, and knew they could eventually port the game to consoles.

[Mankey]

Noted from the cite:

"Professional Photo Shopper here to tell you guys, sorry, but this is fake.

A quick Google search shows us that same picture comes up and is directly from Rockstar's Website. ( http://www.rockstargames.co...

The Rockstar logo in the bottom right hand corner, comes from a quick Google Image Search and is the second image. (Note that whoever made this did forgot to take out small (R) in the bottom right hand corner which is not present in Rockstar Covers)

The "Rating Pending" Logo is also quite easy to find. Again the first Google image result for "Rating Pending" comes up with this. (note that the RP logo is far more compressed and thus becomes blurrier as it has been resized compared with the rest of the image)

The Box itself comes from, again, a quick Google Image Search. Any art could be used have been used. (I just picked Ninja Gaiden as it was among the top results for "PS Vita Game Box") One would simply need to draw a black box over the existing image. (Additionally, please note how much more consistent the Ninja Gaiden promotional box art is compared to this)

On the top Right hand corner we see the [NTSC V/C] Logo which does not exist on promotional art for video games. Only after games pass certification do they receive this. Moreover, PlayStation Vita games do not receive the logo designation in that place.

What gives this away almost immediately, is the fact that the image is not just blurry, but inconsistent. Particularly the two logos at the bottom, both of which have been clearly re-sized to fit this fake. While the center image remains at a sharper resolution.

The twitter image is much sharper in the original IGN posting, but never the less quite easy to recreate. The background and user picture are copied directly from the official Rockstar's verified twitter account and one must simply make a fake twitter handle where one or two of the letters in handle are different than Rockstar's current account handle. They were then Photoshopped back in. The user then simply created a fake tweet and took a photo from their cell phone or camera, uploaded it and posted it on IGN as well as the artwork they created from a separate account.

Lastly I would like to point out the flaw in this research. I am not sure how you came by this information, but the originator of these pictures is two guest accounts off the website IGN.com. Presumably the same person has created two accounts. The first of which happens to be the only person who noticed this posting out of the 2,700,000+ followers of Rockstar games Twitter account. Seems likely, right?

The "second user," cites a non existing page on Reddit as the source of the information and claims to have, again been the only one to see it. I ask you, which is more likely that two separate people posting within minutes of each other happened to be the ONLY TWO people to find this, or that they are the same person with a Photoshopped fake? Even without analytical knowledge of how Photoshop works or creation of promotional art, the likelihood of this being fake is almost certain.

Please update this site as well as your N4G article accordingly as this is simply encouraging other users to do the same in the future. - Jibbex"

[theshonen8899]

@masa2009 You kinda missed the point of my argument which was that developers should have been on board with Vita from the beginning. If the PSP was shunned the way the Vita was, it would have sold just as badly. Instead, the PSP had great support from great games like Grand Theft Auto or, ironically, Sony's very own God of War. The Vita needed games that would sell by the millions the launch into a great start, and it didn't get those because of publisher's wanton fear of the Vita's sales. The fact that the Vita failed so miserably is more of a self-fulfilling prophecy on the publisher's parts than a statement of the Vita's quality.

[Mankey]

Weak guys.

Whelp another E3 reveal ruined. Hopefully no official confirmation until Sony's E3.

[danny818]

Also can't you download this title as a psp game on vita?

[NukaCola]

Yeah. I have LibCityStrs on Vita for free from ps+ and honestly it's terrible

[Jonny5isalive]

damn man, this isnt that bad. But really, id much rather have the ports of san andreas that mobile got verses these old psp games.

[sinncross]

On one hand, I am not going to complain that this will come to the PSV. It needs software and any form (as long as the games are good) is welcomed. But I agree with the sentiments being posted... we need new games.

I really hope Rockstar made San Andreas Stories, and I would actually like a port of Episodes of Liberty City to keep the Sony handheld GTA spinoffs going.

Hopefully this is just the start of Rockstar support... if you are bringing these, may as put the 3 PS2 games onto the PSV too.

But yeah... new stuff too please.

[-Foxtrot]

I'm surprised they didn't do them for IOS like GTAIII and Vice City. I mean the 10th anniversary of those games and what do we get remastered editions...only for iPod/iPads, a massive slap to the face especially for the 10th anniversary.

Anyway this is great for PSV owners if true.

I do hope though Sony didn't blow their Rockstar deal on this...you know the one where Rockstar still owe them something since they funded L.A Noires development and it went multiplatform, not to mention AGENT has still not came out.

[SpadeX]

Do you know how much they owe Sony? And how do you know that they still haven't paid their debts yet?

[zero_gamer]

Companies going overboard with these collections on the Vita. Not going to buy them...at least not new.

[Mr_Writer85]

You and many others, and that's fine, that's your choice.

But it's one (of many) reasons why Vita owners won't get new games.

[HappyWithOneBubble]

The thing is Sony can't get devs to make games for Vita. Even Sony 1st party is focus more on PS4. Porting games to Vita is more cheaper. Maybe Sony should start small studios dedicated to making Vita games.

[randomass171]

@MrSwankSinatra You are speaking my mind. Vita deserves its own exclusive content. Enough with the ports.

[zpoc]

they'd lost money developing a new game for vita. ports of AAA games like this is the best we can expect.

[snookiegamer]

This can't be true??

I don't even own a Vita, but R* have gone down in my estimations.

They couldn't even do a remake of San Andreas for Vita???

Wow! Kinda sucky if factual ;(

[ZeroChaos]

While I am really happy to see City Stories (which were excellent games) I hop the GTA 3 HD Collection is following it shortly :D

[KingA]

That is the most fake looking box art I have ever seen.

[MrBeatdown]

I'm amazed this is even a story.

The freakin' box doesn't even say Grand Theft Auto on it.

[HollywoodLA]

The article doesn't even work.

[CurrentDigital]

It did work, but our servers crashed. We're working on getting things back to normal momentarily.

[HollywoodLA]

Isn't it a bit transparent - submitting your own stories on N4G, in order to garner hits?

I'm not necessarily against it - I'm just stating the obvious.

[snookiegamer]

@B-TENdotcom

You submit your own articles for hits if you want to. Same for Abriael (Dualshockers). Gamers should be more supportive and quit hating on progress.

Some people seem to like others to fail instead of succeed....just stating the obvious!

Do your thing, ignore the naysayers, and keep up the good work!

[FlameHawk]

@HollywoodLA, wow you must be joking, literally everyone that submits on N4G are people who wrote the article themselves, all of them are looking for hits.

[Demoa]

that sucks i already sold my vita

[CanadianTurtle]

You made a wise choice buddy

[KeeseToast]

Don't listen to the CanadianTurt, you are also going to miss Freedom Wars and Gravity Rush 2 so maybe you should get a new Vita. Let's see what E3 brings us!

[MajorGecko]

its a new game not a port i doubt anyone would buy it for vita when they could download the .apk for their phone for free

[Alex_Boro]

Broken link!

[CurrentDigital]

I'm sorry! The servers crashed. I'm doing my best to get things running again.

[Rockefellow]

What kind of garbage web host is providing your service? If your site crashes from a few thousand hits at once, you really should consider switching to a new host-- or shelling out a few more bucks for a better plan. The fact of the matter is, if they can't even allow for overflow on an issue like this, they probably also cap you at a certain amount of data per month, and the occasional "hot" article can eat that up quickly if you have a lot of pictures and data to render outside of text.

[Remy_S]

Looks like it will just be indies and Japanese games from here on for me. Old ass ports, especially poor ports, I have no interest in. Child of Light looks to be the only western third party game coming up, other than that it looks pretty bleak.

[Outside_ofthe_Box]

Same. That's why I'm really hoping Japanese devs localize their games. They're the only ones bringing titles made only for the Vita.

[CurrentDigital]

Apologies to everyone unable to access the site right now! Our servers have crashed, and I'm doing my best to get things up and running again.

-Gabe Carey, B-TEN.com Founder/Editor-in-Chief

[GdaTyler]

Two ports as expected. :( The weird thing is that you can already buy them on the PS Store so why is this necessary?

[STK026]

Considering smartphones/tablets have received updated versions of the original GTA3 trilogy, couldn't Rockstar actually release these on the Vita rather than two games that are already available on the Vita through PSP emulation?

Not to mention that as good as they were on the PSP at the time of their release, neither LCS nor VCS were anywhere as good as the original games they were spun off from.

But, hopefully, at some point down the line, Rockstar will develop an original Vita game, fully optimized for the hardware. But until then, if they plan on releasing legacy software, I would hope they would choose the GTA3 trilogy over the PSP ones.

[HollywoodLA]

If this is true - I would be willing to purchase a Viter.

[WeAreLegion]

I was expecting a new game out of this. :/ I already have the PSP copies on my Vita. No reason to get the new stuff. Trophies aren't worth it.

[imXify]

No way Rockstar would do something unprofessional like this -> http://prntscr.com/3lpu93

Now I can confirm this is fake.

[WeAreLegion]

Good point. The link was still broken when I looked earlier. No way this is true.

[Keith22]

Playing on vita already got the first one on ps+ (PSP version) so wouldnt buy it unless its cheap and a major difference

[Lionalliance]

Oh yeah, I will buy it!
Think about it for a bit, if it succeeds, maybe they will do a GTA Los Santos Stories.

[MrSwankSinatra]

Lets be real here, i don't even think Rockstar really needs to release HD Ports to insure that a new portable GTA title sells well. If Rockstar were to release a "Los Santos Stories" it would be a success and would actually give a reason for people to finally buy a vita. GTA was the main selling point of the PSP in NA, so i doubt that it wouldn't have the same impact on the vita.

[snookiegamer]

@Lionalliance

So wait...you're willing to buy a game on the off chance that R* makes the game you actually wanted in the first place?

No wonder publishers rip us off and take liberties with gamers!

....Think about that for a bit!

[ArtificiallyYours]

Soooo why not make an makeover to San Andreas and port it to the Vita? I mean right now we are in the GTA V era, which is loosely based on each other.

[2pacalypsenow]

aww man i was thinking it was for a new game on the vita

[Delsin_Rowe]

I already have those two games digital for PSP , anyway if it was remake in a new engine then we are talking business but it just remake HD and that it then I am disappointed with RockStar, then I flip this table

[danny818]

Can you already download these titles on the psn store ? As a psp title

[Gamesgbkiller]

I lost hope for anything big for the VITA :(

[CanadianTurtle]

Yeah, it also doesn't help the fact that developers just don't want to support the system with games. Therefore, I think it's safe to assume the Vita is already doomed.

[insomnium2]

Demon gaze just released on it though and another jrpg is in the works. Forgot what it's called though. Then there's that Ys game too. Not too shabby imo.

[SpiralTear]

It's not doomed. There are some great games on the way from Japan, but if you're not into stuff like Freedom Wars, Demon Gaze or Soul Sacrifice, or indie titles, I can't say there's much on Vita that would appeal to you.

[Pancit_Canton]

A system seller Sony needs for the PSVita. This and JRPG can bring out the potential of the Vita.

[Jonny5isalive]

ok yoda.

[No_Limit]

Seriously doubt it.

If Grand Theft Auto: Vice City and Chinatown Wars didn't do much for the PSP, I don't see how another port is going to be any different this time.

[JaXion5]

Oh look, another port, because the Vita doesn't have too many of those already.

[Inception]

What console / handheld that doesn't have a lot of port? Even the best selling handheld of all time like NDS also had a lot of ports.

[SpiralTear]

Yeah, but the DS also had awesome exclusives custom built for its unique hardware.

[Inception]

And i can say the same thing for vita

[CerealKiller]

Seriously guys enlarge the image, its the worst ms paint "photoshop" I've ever seen.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

Buying!

[MultiConsoleGamer]

Day one!!

[nope111]

This is fake, guys.

[SonyStyled]

i might have to buy it. generally speaking i never really enjoyed gta, but i cant speak much. ive never really played it. just watched and it didnt look that entertaining. maybe ill give it a shot. i would never buy these psp versions, but the originals with a bit of polish and trophies is more than welcomed!

[imXify]

FAKE. Just look at that

http://prntscr.com/3lpu93

Nice try tho.

[Hroach616]

TO EVERYONE ASKING WHY ANYONE WOULD BUY THIS

Yeah you can get it already on PSN, but there's no support for the second stick to control the camera. I got liberty city cuz I loved that game, then realized I couldn't optimize for the camera controls. Never played it again. Plus I'm sure the graphics would be updated a bit n smoothed out.

I would buy this if it was updated and came with both games. That being said, I would prefure a new game or a San Andreas city story's. Either way, we need more software on the Vita.

[modesign]

so your going to spend $45 just to use the second stick. lol go on ahead bro.

[patchzon]

If only they could make a GTA exclusively for the vita!I don't get it,this handled is a very capable machine,look at kz mercenary for example,the others devs have No excuses bringing us crapy ports!!!they are lazy and don't want to take risks developing on vita,The vita needs more AAA games,how many times do we have to say that,come on!!Hopefuly i can calm my nerves whith the remote play feature until any REAL good game(apart from KZ merc,nfs,uncharted,GRush) comes on it.At least its a portable ps4!

[MasterCornholio]

The Vita needs a GTA game.

I remember having a ton of fun with China Town Wars.

[sanosukegtr123]

I already have vcs lcs and ctw.

[sanosukegtr123]

Maybe my message to Rockstar of making a gta san andreas game to the vita maybe coming true or already making a gta game for the vita.

[jspillen]

How many people are going to get on here and MOAN and GROAN even though they already know that the install base of the Vita is just not big enough to warrant tons of new IP's. It is still a business.

Not to mention, haven't we all figured out that the Vita is actually just shy of console quality and so the types of games that work the best are 10-15 minute at-a-time games.

There are so many games for the Vita nowdays... both AAA and Indy's. And if you also add the back catalog of PS1, PSP, and mini's there are enough gaming experiences.

At this point more people have to buy the Vita, especially in the United States. Stop bitching at Sony, and start motivating some friends to pick up such a great piece of hardware. We all know it's capable of fantastically fun and hardware intense games. However, if more people don't buy the damn thing it's not going to change.

A great device has to be bought by consumers or it's not going to succeed.

[Inception]

Can't agree more. If only we have more gamers like you mate...

[SpiralTear]

"the install base of the Vita is just not big enough to warrant tons of new IP's."

Whose fault do you suppose that is?

[tigertron]

We need a San Andreas stories NOW!

[Tidybrutes]

This looks soo fake its unbelivable.

[iTzYaBoYal]

This rumor is garbage. We would be lucky if rockstar even made a game for vita... Happy Gaming :)

[Cam977]

We need a grand theft auto on vita for crying out loud my systems a paperweight. Facepalm
At how fake this is though.

[InTheZoneAC]

dual analog stick control
enhanced graphics
trophies

I'll buy...

I understand we all want new games, but we'll get them eventually. I'll enjoy these games as I didn't play much on the psp or ps2...

[OldDude]

I for one am sorry I bought the system. What a joke it has turned out to be. Sony simply doesn't have the resources to fill the pipeline up with games for it. Trade in time.

[rivencleft]

Sony is starting to sound a lot like the Swedish Chef, "Port, Port, Port, Port". Love Sony, or should say, love my playstations, but a lot of people are right, bring out the new games with the new systems and then worry about porting things over, especially games we recently just played, *cough* Tomb Raider, TLOU *cough* SORRY, remasters..

[itsRehabTime]

LSC was the reason I bought a PSP, I think that and VCS was a console seller, it helped shifted a lot od PSPs, both great games tho.