GTA V Online launch hit by problems

Franklin, one of the stars of GTA V. Picture: Contributed

GTA V launched on September 17, and drew $1 billion in sales in the first three days after its release. In GTA Online, players can design their own custom avatar and team up with other user-controlled characters from around the world in a range of new missions and scenarios.

The online portion of the game was delayed in order to allow players to get used to its mechanics, and developers Rockstar admit that the newly-released section of the game may be affected by teething problems for a considerable time.

In a statement on their website, Rockstar said: “The first couple of weeks we expect to be heavily focused on tuning the experience as it goes from internal testing to the reality of being played by tons of people in the real world so that all the usual teething problems for an online game are overcome.”

The company also admitted that sales of the game have vastly exceeded their expectations, and that extra IT infrastructure is needed to bring the service up to full speed. Rockstar said: “One thing we are already aware of, and are trying to alleviate as fast as we can, is the unanticipated additional pressure on the servers due to a significantly higher number of players than we were anticipating at this point – we are working around the clock to buy and add more servers, but this increased scale is only going to make the first few days even more temperamental than such things usually are.”

Rockstar have already apologised for a delay in the launch of the game’s companion app for Android smartphones. The iFruit application allows users to control aspects of the game using their smartphone, and must be used to unlock certain missions and elements within the main game.

MORE ON GTA V

• Martyn McLaughlin’s reflections on GTA V

• Hawick fury at GTA V inclusion

• GTA V’s Scottish references and easter eggs