• The New York Times, Friday, August 3, 2007 11:15 AM

Take-Two Interactive says it is pushing back the sale of Grand Theft Auto IV from October into the second quarter of next year because it is not finished. The delay is likely to have ripple effects on the industry during its crucial holiday selling season.

Demand for the highly popular video game was expected to drive sales of the consoles for which it was designed--Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox 360. Wall Street analysts have been disappointed by the sales of those consoles, particularly relative to the cheaper and less sophisticated Wii from Nintendo.

Some game industry analysts say the delay could be particularly painful to Sony. In late September, Microsoft plans to release the holiday season's other widely anticipated game, Halo, which is designed to be played exclusively on the 360. Sony does not have an exclusive title that is as widely anticipated.

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