Grand Theft Auto V launching Oct. 23, 2012, predicts analyst

Wedbush Securities' Michael Pachter expects Rockstar Games' open-world title to ship one week after BioShock: Infinite this fall season.

The much-anticipated open-world action game Grand Theft Auto V will ship on October 23, 2012, according to Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter. Speaking on the latest episode of GameTrailers TV, Pachter acknowledged that shipping on that date would be just a week behind another major Take-Two property, BioShock Infinite (October 16), but he did not budge on his belief.

Pachter has a specific date in mind for GTAV: October 23, 2012.

"I know that's too close to BioShock Infinite," he said. "I don't think the Rockstar guys care about a 2K game."
If GTAV ships on October 23, 2012, gamers will be barraged with high-profile games in consecutive weeks. The October-November release calendar could shape up to be: BioShock Infinite (October 16), GTAV (October 23), Assassin's Creed III (October 30), Halo 4 (November 6), and if rumor proves accurate, Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on November 13.
As for when new GTAV details might arrive, Pachter believes Rockstar will let loose new information the Monday before the 2012 Electronic Entertainment Expo commences.
"My read on those guys, is they like stealing the thunder from everybody else," he said. Pachter went on to explain offering new details about the game on this day would make GTAV the most-talked-about game of the show, despite not actually having a presence there.
This is not the first indication of an October 2012 release date for GTAV. Earlier this month, a Rockstar North employee's resume pointed to the action game shipping during that window.
Not all are on board with a 2012 release date for GTAV. Janco Partners' Mike Hickey and Sterne Agee's Arvind Bhatia are expecting the game to arrive in 2013, and specialty retailer GameStop is not counting on it to ship this year.
When GTAV does eventually arrive, it will do so with lofty sales expectations. Multiple reports suggest the game could sell many millions of copies, with one projecting it could sell 24 million units if it maintains historical attach rates.
Rockstar took the wraps off GTAV in October and issued the game's first trailer in early November. The game will be set primarily in present-day Los Santos, a fictional town modeled on Los Angeles. Rockstar has also said that GTAV boasts the largest scope of any installment in the franchise to date.