Rockstar developing ‘GTA: The Ballad of Gay Tony’

Never one to shy away from the eye-catching, Rockstar has named its next piece of downloadable content for the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV – The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Sporting a rainbow-tinted logo and “guns, glitz, and grime”, the second piece of GTA IV DLC will see players assuming the role of part-time gangster and nightclub assistant Luis Lopez. It will cost 1600 Microsoft Points – around £15 – to download.

In addition, a new retail SKU entitled Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will bring together the new content and former download The Lost and the Damned in a standalone disc that will not require a user to own GTA IV to play. The US price has been pegged at $39.99 – expect to pay around £20-£25 in the UK.

“Liberty City is the most vibrant game world we’ve created yet,” Rockstar founder Sam Houser explained. “The episodic structure has allowed us to interweave stories, gameplay and atmosphere in a whole new way.

”The team at Rockstar North have yet again surpassed themselves, and made something that is both epic and very innovative. This episode’s focus on high-end night life contrasts with the biker gangs portrayed in The Lost and Damned, whilst giving us a lot of new gameplay possibilities.”

Both The Balled of Gay Tony and Episodes from Liberty City will be released this autumn.