It's hard for any game command much anticipation or speculation without ever having shown a sample of gameplay or even an official detail, but when it's got Grand Theft Auto in the title thing get much easier. We're still presumably months away from the official release of Grand Theft Auto V, but another developer document has surfaced from within Rockstar hinting that players will be revisiting the streets of Los Santos no later than October 2012.

Anyone has who has been keeping abreast of GTA V news knows that predictions on release windows have been more than a little varied. The leaked schedule of one UK retailer plans for an autumn 2012 release, while some analysts are predicting that it would be in the best interest of Rockstar Games to push the launch back all the way to May 2013.

The latest hint comes courtesy of Rockstar North animator Alex O'Dwyer, whose CV has made its way online. Among the various finished games in O'Dwyer's work history is none other than Grand Theft Auto V, again listed with a release window of October 2012. O'Dwyer's CV has since been deleted, but not before the cat was let out of the bag.

While this is far from a confirmation that GTA V will be released in October 2012, it does reinforce the notion that a Halloween launch has been planned internally for some time. It's entirely possible that the delays which struck the developers at Rockstar have since pushed the release past autumn and into 2013, in which case everyone would have been right at one point or another. That is a sizable delay, but with Rockstar pulling in support from 2K Czech the finished product is likely getting the attention it deserves.

An October release window would place GTA V directly in the lead up to the holiday blitz, causing some to speculate that a delay may have been orchestrated to remove it from other holiday releases. Since BioShock: Infinite is coming in October, that would mean placing two of Take-Two Interactive's largest properties this year in a one-on-one sales battle. However, it's hard to think that Grand Theft Auto V wouldn't come out on top of just about any match-up, and with such widely different gameplay and reputation between the two games, it's even harder to think they'll be going after the exact same audience.

Whether the delay was due to a sales decision or development issues isn't clear - and likely never will be - but the most interesting question going forward will be just how closely Max Payne 3 and GTA V launch to one another. Fans are still free to hold out hope that an October release is possible, but if that's the case then Rockstar had better start releasing information on the game. If nothing else, start confirming or denying all these pesky rumors that won't stop circulating.

Grand Theft Auto V could be released as early as October 2012, or as late as May 2013 for the Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii U.

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Source: Alex O'Dwyer