Microsoft bungs Take Two megadosh

SOFTWARE GIANT Microsoft has bunged the makers of Grand Theft Auto $50 million to get exclusive rights on new episodes the game for its Xbox 360.

Take Two has apparently trousered the cash to produce two new installments of Grand Theft Auto IV.

The first episode will appear on Vole's Xbox Live Marketplace digital delivery service in March 2008 and the second later that year.

GTA IV (or Get Ivy as we are dubbing it) will be released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on October 16.

Wired points out that $50 million is a huge pile of dosh and is about five times what it cost to make Gears of War. But it does make life a bit tricky for Sony as the possibility of getting expansions for Get Ivy might be a deciding factor when punters decide which console to buy.

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