• Posted November 14th, 2012 at 07:40 EDT by Mike Harradence
• 4 Comments

The vice president of Rockstar Games has described Grand Theft Auto V’s planned launch towards the end of the current hardware cycle as perfect.

Speaking to Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, Dan Houser revealed that the fact Rockstar is well acquainted with the hardware on offer means they are able to take things to the next level with GTA V.

"Rockstar is a content company, not a hardware company," said Houser (via Polygon). "We use the technology we have to create content, and we try not to let ourselves get beholden to the hardware.

"The fact that hardware's so mature right now is exactly why we're able to go on to the next level. GTA 4 was our first attempt at a new platform and HD visuals, so the first part of development was seriously difficult. Now we know what the hardware's capable of, so it's become a lot easier to move things along and a lot more fun, too.”

Houser also pointed to the release of GTA: San Andreas, which arrived late in the PS2’s life cycle.

"GTA: San Andreas came out at the peak of the PlayStation 2's cycle, and we put out a really good game thanks to that. All the best games for a console come out at the end of the lifecycle, right? So now's the best timing of all."

GTA V is due out in Spring 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game features three playable characters, with gamers able to switch between them at any point. The crime sequel will also feature the biggest open-world in Rockstar history.

Stay tuned to PSU.com for more coverage on GTA V.