In June, Take-Two Interactive said L.A. Noire would launch in the quarter ending October 31. Since that time, the publisher has barely mentioned the Rockstar-published, Team Bondi-developed game, much less ramped up a prelaunch advertising blitz. In a note to investors this morning, Pacific Crest Securities' Evan Wilson gave a possible reason for that, saying retail sources have told him the game is being delayed into next year.

　　Gamers eager for L.A. Noire might grow appropriately jaded and cynical in the face of the game's continued delays. "We have confirmed the delay of L.A. Noire from fiscal Q4 (Oct.) well into [fiscal] 2011 [November 1, 2010 to October 31, 2011]," Wilson wrote. "As far as we can tell, Take-Two has not shown the game to retailers."

　　Representatives with Take-Two and Rockstar had not returned GameSpot's requests for comment as of press time.

　　By Wilson's count, L.A. Noire would be the 20th major delay for the publisher since its current management team took over in 2007. L.A. Noire would have accounted for three of those delays.

　　Wilson doesn't believe the delay will prevent the publisher from missing its full-year financial guidance. He said the company set the bar conservatively low with its numbers, and whatever negative impact it might have on the company's fourth-quarter results could be made up for by continued strength of Rockstar's last title, Red Dead Redemption.

　　"Clearly, management either has no control over the release of its games, cannot accurately predict the timing of their completion or is not concerned with the forecasts it issues to investors," Wilson wrote. "In any case, the delays have reinforced the low confidence we have in current management. We continue to have low confidence that management has any idea about when its games will actually be released and believe the confidence that it displays to investors is misplaced."

　　The debut effort from Australia-based Team Bondi, L.A. Noire takes place in 1940s Los Angeles, a popular setting for detective films and novels. The game will have players entangled in a violent web of vice, corruption, and crime in the titular metropolis's underworld, tasked with solving a series of murders in what Rockstar describes as an "open-ended challenge."

　　L.A. Noire was originally announced as a PlayStation 3 exclusive in 2005, with Rockstar picking up the publishing rights to the title the following year. Rockstar cofounder and creative director Sam Houser is executive-producing L.A. Noire, with Team Bondi founder Brendan McNamara (writer and director of The Getaway) serving as director of development.

　　You need a javascript enabled browser to watch videos.

　　Click To Unmute

　　L.A. Noire Official Trailer 2

　　Tears Of The Kingdom Is A Technological Marvel

　　Resident Evil 4 Is A Perfect RemakeHow Alan Wake II Made Me Face My Fear of Horror GamesGameSpot's Top 10 Games of 2023Thompson: The Pop Culture Icon’s Strange Legacy - LoadoutFirearms Expert’s FAVORITE Weapons Of 2023State Of Gaming Handhelds In 2023Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Ichiban Kasuga Character Spotlight TrailerHow Lies of P Cracked the Souls GenreLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Chitose Fujinomiya Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Eric Tomizawa Character Spotlight TrailerLike a Dragon: Infinite Wealth - Official Kazuma Kiryu Character Spotlight Trailer

　　Share

　　LinkEmbed

　　Size:640 × 360480 × 270

　　Start at: End at: Autoplay Loop

　　Want us to remember this setting for all your devices?

　　Sign up or Sign in now!

　　Please use a html5 video capable browser to watch videos.

　　This video has an invalid file format.

　　00:00:00

　　HTML5

　　Auto HD High Low

　　Report a problem

　　Sorry, but you can't access this content!

Please enter your date of birth to view this video

　　By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's

　　Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

　　enter