Retailers break street date for 'GTA IV'

Asda has reportedly broken the street date for Grand Theft Auto IV.

A photograph of the hotly-anticipated game and a receipt for its purchase were posted on a PlayStation forum.

A story in MCV indicates that other large retailers and online stores have also started selling ahead of schedule.

Asda's Duncan Cross told the trade paper: "This is an isolated incident, we had a clear message to stores not to sell early, and so any copies that have gone on sale are miniscule. We have no policy to sell before the street date, and we'll make sure this doesn't happen."

Various key UK retailers recently assured MCV that the date would not be broken.

Don McCabe, boss of leading independent retailer Chips, said: “[Publisher] Take Two has done everything they physically can to stop the street date breaking. We’ve all had to sign an agreement, we’ve all received constant reminders about that agreement, we’ve even had to sign an agreement on the guide book release for the first time.

“Of course if anyone does break the date I hope the full weight of Take Two comes down upon them, and I wouldn’t be surprised if their re-stock delivery gets lost somewhere."

Grand Theft Auto IV will be released tomorrow for Xbox 360 and PS3.