We’ve heard the Grand Theft Auto V spiel several times already, and the rumour returns once again. This time, the analyst firm Sterne Agee expects the game to launch in the first quarter, and cites a Wii U version of it as one potential cause for the delay.

Now, this is a prediction from an analyst group that has no direct connection to the developers, so there’s none of that “friend of a friend’s anonymous source” chatter at work here. However, considering that the Wii U will not miss the holiday season, it’s not out of the question that Rockstar Games would want to capitalize on the new platform that will have press and fans buzzing.

So… the elusive Grand Theft Auto V. Will it or will it not come to the Wii U? I’d love to hear your thoughts on that question, so leave them in the comments.

This is one of those rumours that just won’t go away. Some sources say that GTA V will be on the Wii U, others point in different directions. Now we have a new set of rumours from sources apparently close to Rockstar, who have told Gamespot that Grand Theft Auto development is well under way and that they are actually putting on the finishing touches.

The disheartening thing about this rumour is that the source has made no mention that the platform that the game will be coming to will be the Wii U. All we have to go on is the fact that the source mentioned that a 2012 release was very likely and previous rumours that have said the game will be coming to the Wii U.

The source did say that “It’s the big one,” and that the game’s scale would be vast.

I stumbled across two (probably fake) pictures of Grand Theft Auto V. A rumour that has proven to be popular is that the sequel to Grand Theft Auto IV is going to be a launch title for Project Café. This is supposed to be our first look at the game, but it’s much more likely that it’s not.

I know it’s not the leak you’ve been waiting for, but you may be interested in it, anyway.

I couldn’t find out where the pictures originally came from, and they just scream fabrication in my eyes, but if you think they might be real, tell me why in the comments.

Next up, we’ve got the May 10th leak Emily Rogers promised us. Let’s see if it turns out to be as blatantly fake as this one – if it even happens at all. I’ll be sure to update you on

Out of all the rumours that have been flying around about the Wii’s successor, one of the more popular ones has been that Rockstar Games has a Project Café development kit, which led many people to the conclusion that they’re developing Grand Theft Auto V for it (and it still seems a likely possibility, even after the original source of the rumour clarified that they never said anything about GTA V).

Some more fuel has just been thrown on this fire, though, as the same guy who brought us the news of Nintendo’s E3 promo videos having been filmed, also said that the next Grand Theft Auto game will be revealed at the event in some capacity. Keep in mind that he didn’t say what system the game would appear on, so it just as well might be for the PlayStation 3 and/or Xbox 360.

An earlier rumour of Grand Theft Auto V set to make an appearance as a Wii 2 launch title (naturally) caused much stirring in the gaming community. It seems that rumour took a real punch now, as Games.On.Net has been contacted by its original source, 01net, and made aware of a glaring error: nothing was ever mentioned about GTA 5 – 01net only meant to say that Rockstar had their hands on a development kit. Here is the full letter from 01net:

We did publish a story on Monday about Rockstar, but to say that the British studio already have a devkit. Nothing more. We have absolutely no idea about whether or not a GTA V is planned on Wii 2, nor if Rockstar is willing to have a launch title.

Our details about the NGP specs and then the Wii 2 “project Café” console are serious and we try not to be engaged with unserious rumors.

This doesn’t mean that Grand Theft Auto V isn’t coming to the Wii 2, or that it won’t be a launch title, but it definitely moves the possibility from “could actually happen” back to “wishful thinking.” For now, though, consider the rumour debunked.

At least, that’s what the French site 01net thinks. Just a couple of days ago, a rumour broke out that Nintendo had been talking to Rockstar about getting their franchises onto the Wii 2. The rumour originated from Gameolosophy, a site not so well known for its quality, so at the time, I wouldn’t blame you if you thought it was little more than wishful thinking.

However, we’re now getting an almost identical report from 01net, which is a source with a far better track record – they famously broke the NGP’s specs before Sony did, and their last big story was one of the first Wii 2 “leaks” (which we’ll soon know the outcome of).

01net’s anonymous source claims that Rockstar is in possession of a Wii 2 development kit, and is working on getting Grand Theft Auto V onto it in time for the system’s widely reported late 2012 launch.

Carrying on from the tempting rumour of Pikmin 3 being moved to the Wii 2, the same writer from Gameolosophy also claimed that Nintendo has been trying to woo Rockstar Games with the new system in an attempt to get them to support it with some of their major franchises like Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption.

Rockstar’s games – and the Grand Theft Auto series in particular – tend to be very popular with post-teen gamers because of their unashamed edginess and open-ended gameplay. If Nintendo really is trying to appeal to the “hardcore” first and foremost, as previous rumours suggested, getting Rockstar on board will really help them reclaim the throne the GameCube lost to the PlayStation 2.

I think that Nintendo has a good chance at winning Rockstar over. Rockstar took it upon themselves to make the daringly original Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the DS, capitalizing greatly on the system’s touchscreen for all kinds of fun little touches and extras, which tells me they don’t really have anything against Nintendo. I would love to see them repeat the feat with whatever the Wii 2’s selling-point gimmick turns out to be.

Image credit: Llamma.com

A 4chan user by the name of Round Cactus claims to be an ESRB employee who has screened the sizzle reel Nintendo will be showing at E3 in less than 48 hours. It’s quite possibly the most grandiose “leak” we’ve had so far, rivaling even those of Emily Rogers. I’ve got my suspicions about the authenticity of his info, because he claims that ‘Zelda Universe’ is the name of a 25th-anniversary collection of Zelda games, but it’s still a great discussion piece.

Full list after the break!

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Shane Satterfield, GameTrailers’ Editor-in-Chief, says he’s heard that there will be lots of third-party titles announced for Project Café.

I have kind of heard some things through the grapevine there is going to be some big third-party announcements for Nintendo’s new console at the show, there’s no doubt about that.

Awesome third-party support is one of the many promises the rumours about the console have been touting, going as far as a Grand Theft Auto launch title. Do you think third-party studios may start jumping ship from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in favour of the Wii’s successor?

Thanks for the tip, Travis!

From another French site comes another juicy tidbit of news: GameBlog.fr had the chance to sit down for an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto. Naturally, one of the questions that was asked pertained to the Wii 2/Project Café. Miyamoto answered by saying that Nintendo “is always working new hardware” and that “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” – meaning that if the rumour mill’s starting to spin about the Wii’s successor, it probably means it’s close to daylight. He did, however, warn us not to believe everything we read online, implying that some of our earlier rumours may have turned out to be false (and one already has).

In the same interview, Miyamoto also reconfirmed that he’s aiming to release Super Mario 3DS this year, is still working on a new Pikmin game, revealed what they’re planning to do for The Legend of Zelda’s 25th anniversary, and a few more little nuggets you might find interesting. Check this translated and summarized post on NeoGAF for those.

Thanks, Jikayaki!