Fans of the Grand Theft Auto series woke up to some bad news today as it has been revealed that the latest installment of the hit title from Rockstar games will miss its planned spring 2013 release date. The company announced earlier today that Grand Theft Auto V is now scheduled for release on September 17 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles - no word yet on when it will be available on the PC or the Wii U.

In a post on Rockstar's website, the GTA team acknowledged the delay would come as a disappointment to many but they believe it will be worth the wait. Because GTA V is a massively ambitious and complex game, it simply needs a little more polish to reach the level of standard that the team and players require.

The post concludes with the team issuing an apology for the delay and promising to work very hard to make the game all it can be.

Rockstar announced GTA V on October 25, 2011 and delivered the first trailer about one week later. The developer has been forthcoming with screenshots and teaser videos ever since, even going as far as to say that GTA V will feature the largest in-game world they have ever developed. Los Santos will be larger than the worlds in Red Dead Redemption, GTA: San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV combined.

The game is said to feature three playable protagonists (Michael, Franklin and Trevor) that can be switched between at any time, provided you aren't in the middle of a mission. Each character will have a different set of skills that will be useful during various missions.

Are you looking forward to GTA V or have you grown tired of the franchise after so many iterations?