'GTA' episodes 'planned from the start'

Rockstar North has said that the Grand Theft Auto episodes were planned from the beginning of GTA IV's development.

Associate producer Imran Sarwar said that Niko's story in Liberty City was always going to be a small part.

"Even at the end of his story, he's not the king of the town by any means," he told CVG.

"The idea was to use the episodes to reveal the rest of that world, to show some of the characters and events that were invisible to Niko and yet still had a bearing on events in his life."

Responding to queries about why the downloadable episodes were not included in one title, he said: "I think if we had it would have been impossible to focus on each separate aspect of gameplay properly. The stories and the gameplay are inextricably linked.

"We've always maintained that Liberty City is the real star of these games, and what makes it truly amazing is that it's so full of potential as an environment."

Latest episode The Ballad Of Gay Tony can be downloaded now from Xbox Live or purchased with The Lost And Damned from retail.

> Click here for our hands-on preview of The Ballad Of Gay Tony