Daily Star apologises over 'GTA Rothbury' story
Tabloid admits it "made no attempt to check the accuracy of the story," with damages going to charity
The Daily Star, which caused a degree of consternation within the games industry in the UK last week after publishing a story claiming that Rockstar was working on a new instalment of the Grand Theft Auto series based on events surrounding the Raoul Moat manhunt, has issued a lengthy public apology, admitting that it was untrue.
The retraction including an "unreserved apology" to the publisher, conceding that it made no attempt to check the accuracy of the article, and the paper has agreed to pay an undisclosed sum in damages - which will go to charity.
A Rockstar spokesperson has indicated to GamesIndustry.biz that the company considers the matter closed, and that it is unlikely to make further comment on the situation.
The full text of the climb-down is as follows:
"ON 21 July we published an article claiming that the video games company Rockstar Games were planning to release a version of their popular Grand Theft Auto video games series titled 'Grand Theft Auto Rothbury'.
"We also published what we claimed would be the cover of this game, solicited comments from a family member impacted by the recent tragedy and criticised Rockstar Games for their alleged plans.
"We made no attempt to check the accuracy of the story before publication and did not contact Rockstar Games prior to publishing the story. We also did not question why a best selling and critically acclaimed fictional games series would choose to base one of their most popular games on this horrifying real crime event.
"It is now accepted that there were never any plans by Rockstar Games to publish such a game and that the story was false. We apologise for publishing the story using a mock-up of the game cover, our own comments on the matter and soliciting critical comments from a grieving family member.
"We unreservedly apologise to Rockstar Games and we have undertaken not to repeat the claims again. We have also agreed to pay them a substantial amount in damages which they are donating to charity."