Source: See below.

　　What we heard: In April, Rockstar Games revealed that Grand Theft Auto IV would include a multiplayer component. Though multiplayer isn't new to the franchise--both PlayStation Portable games included the feature, as did the PC version of GTAII--Rockstar has been mum on providing further details for the online mode. Thus far, the notoriously reclusive developer has only said that GTAIV's multiplayer will not, as once speculated, follow a massively multiplayer-style format.

　　Last Friday, that curtain of silence seemed to part ever so slightly. Reporting from the PlayStation Holiday Preview Event in Toronto, Canadian gaming site GamingExcellence cornered "Rockstar's man on the scene." The Rockstar rep reportedly told the site that "the developers were considering the possibility of having an open world completely unlocked from the start of the game." The rep also mentioned to GamingExcellence that Rockstar "is aiming for at least 16 simultaneous players [for multiplayer], with more than just the usual deathmatch mode."

　　Despite GamingExcellence's numerous cautionary terms indicating the information was tenuous at best, it was interpreted as set-in-stone fact by forumgoers and the blogosphere this week. However, the information should probably be taken at face value, with particular attention paid to "considering," "possibility," and "aiming."

　　The official story: "We do not comment on rumor or speculation."--A Rockstar rep.

　　Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus that GTAIV will feature multiplayer that might just accommodate up to 16 players. Bogus that Rockstar has definitively nailed down any particulars. With the game not landing on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 until Q2 2008, Rockstar will undoubtedly continue its tinkering for some time to come.