Having seen both Grand Theft Auto 3 and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City both ported to mobile devices in recent years, the news that Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will be headed to Android, iOS and Windows Phone devices next month shouldn’t come as a great surprise. However, while we suspected Rockstar Games would oblige, the announcement of San Andreas’s imminent release is no less exciting, and with both the previous two GTA ports for mobile proving very successful, one suspects this one will prove just as popular.
Grand Theft Auto 5, which released back in September, has proven to be not only one of the most successful gaming launches of all time, but in entertainment as a whole. With over $1 billion grossed in the first couple of days alone, it was certainly worth the wait following delays over the spring, and the release of San Andreas for mobile would seem an ideal way for Rockstar to keep the entire franchise fresh in our minds.
Although San Andreas didn’t quite generate the hype as GTA 5 has done this year, it was certainly a very popular release in its day, and will be welcomed with open arms by the gaming faithful.
As with Grand Theft Auto 3 and Vice City, the title is essentially a straight port of the version made famous on the PlayStation 2, and since Rockstar has made a pretty good job of adapting its games to the touch-based interface, we’ll be expecting more of the same with San Andreas.
Having been "upgraded for its mobile release," Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas mobile will be headed to iOS and Android next month, as well as select "Amazon Kindle and Windows Mobile" devices. Whether this means Windows Phone remains to be seen, but we suspect that it obviously is, but irrespective of the launch platforms, we’re very excited to see San Andreas rise from obscurity for a second outing. And also, something which will be a treat for avid games, it’s great to see that Rockstar is taking advantage of iOS’s latest additions, and we’re talking about iOS 7 game controller capability, which will be supported by the title at launch.
No date has been disclosed by Rockstar just yet, who announced the title by means of a blog post earlier on today. That said, we will be keeping our eyes open for any key details pertaining the release, including the usual spate of teaser trailers that the publisher likes to throw out.
You can follow us on Twitter, add us to your circle on Google+ or like our Facebook page to keep yourself updated on all the latest from Microsoft, Google, Apple and the Web.