8 things we already know about GTA 5

At last, it's coming. Three years after GTA IV, Rockstar has fired up the hype machine for a sequel by revealing... the logo. And absolutely nothing else. We're getting the first trailer in a little over a week - which means a whole seven days of rampant speculation lie ahead, followed by another few months' worth when said trailer inevitably proves to be a beautifully-soundtracked tease. Allow us to kick things off with eight things that we will say with confidence about our next trip around Rockstar North's beautifully-crafted world.

1. It won't be set in the UK

Just getting this out of the way quickly because people keep asking, but really, it's a non-starter. GTA last confined itself to London back in the top-down 2D era, but it'd never work today: games need to sell millions, and for that they need to be either set in America or set in places Americans care about.

2. It will be set in Hollywood

Okay, we're repeating gossip here, but it's pretty compelling gossip that has never been convincingly superceded. We've been there before, in San Andreas, and it's the perfect setting for the OTT American Dreamworld that GTA is know for. There's also the fact, as noted in PSM3's excellent deductive writeup, that Rockstar has spent ages mapping Los Angeles for LA Noire, so that'd lend itself very well to reuse.

3. It'll do multiplayer really well

GTA IV was Rockstar North's first go at multiplayer, and it showed. There was no server browser (so you had to sit and argue until the host started the game) the game modes were ripe for griefing, and most challenges deteriorated into free-for-all shootouts regardless of mission objectives. For all that, it's stayed popular - but it could be much more. Storyline co-op is a possibility, although only if it will work within Rockstar's cherished storytelling.

4. It'll be all about the money

This is as close as we can get to official confirmation of anything, thanks to the tell-tale dollar-bill styling of the V in the logo. But the internet rumour mill has previously suggests a post-recession, credit-crunch-based storyline, and the timing backs it up. Work on the game would have begun around GTA IV's launch in 2008, back when the subprime bubble was starting to burst, and it's a perfect fit for the jaundiced view of the American dream that GTA's always done so well.

GTA IV's Liberty City is still up there as one of the most realistic cities ever created in gaming. Rockstar can turn it up some more, but we're into diminishing returns now. The facial and character animation, however, was far less remarkable - and now Rockstar's got experience with Motionscan, it seems the perfect fit. Team Bondi boss Brendan MacNamara claimed as much earlier this year. The only flaw in this otherwise perfect theory is that Team Bondi went bankrupt after Rockstar declined to work with it on the next LA Noire, so it seems reasonable to assume that cut things off rather emphatically. Plus, MacNamara was talking about it as a possibility this year; if it was happening, he'd probably have been under a three-line whip not to even countenance the possibility. Where GTA is concerned, if something's being openly talked about it's probably not happening.