Variety, citing a “good source,” is rumouring that GTA IV DLC The Lost and Damned has sold around 1 million units since it released in February.

Analyst Michael Pachter has already put the same figure on the download, speaking at the beginning of March. Pachter estimated sales would reach 2 million by the end of this year.

The second and final part of GTA IV’s 360-exclusive DLC will release before the end of October this year.

While we still don’t know exactly how many copies of GTA: The Lost and Damned were downloaded last month, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg said last night that the figure was more than that achieved by Killzone 2 at retail – 323,000.

The exec told Gamasutra the DLC was “the most successful game add-on content we’ve ever launched,” adding, “If that content was sold at retail, it would be one of the best-sellers across all platforms. It would have outsold Killzone 2″.

It’s worth noting that TLAD launched on February 17, while Killzone 2 released on February 27.

Thanks, Kotaku.

EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich has predicted that GTA IV DLC The Lost and Damned will bring in some $40 million in revenue.

Currently, Divnich guessed, the content is selling at a 6:1 ratio of download to retail, a gap the analyst expects “to grow even larger as digitally distributed games don’t have to succumb to retail pressures and loss of shelf space/visibility.

“Long-term, we expect Lost and Damned to produce up to $40 million in total worldwide revenue. We expect the original title, Grand Theft Auto IV to produce over $800 million in worldwide revenue throughout its lifetime.”

More on GameDaily.

Rockstar has issued a statement to VG247 confirming that some versions of GTA IV have been censored by the game’s latest title update, and that the “error” is to be fixed immediately.

“We are aware of an error with the latest GTA IV title update and are confident the issue will be fixed within the next few hours,” said a rep.

“We apologize to our fans for any inconvenience caused.”

It was reported earlier today that Europeans had noticed pools of blood missing from around corpses, and camera angles dropped from sex scenes in the game.

Many had assumed The Lost and Damned had been the cause of the changes, by, as you can see, it was the separate patch.

Still, not to worry. You’ll have you blood back pronto.

A string of forum reports are claiming the adding The Lost and Damned to your copy of GTA IV in Europe means edits are made to the original game.

Blood pools underneath bodies have apparently magically disappeared in Europe, and camera angles have been cut from prostitute “experiences”.

American copies are apparently unaffected.

There’s a video after the break detailing some of it. Asking Rockstar now. Thanks, Kotaku.

GTA IV DLC The Lost and Damned has been passed without edits in Australia, IGN reports.

The contents features explicit sex scenes with prostitutes and full frontal male nudity.

The original GTA IV was originally refused classification in Australia by the ACB (formerly the OFLC) specifically because of the sex scenes with prostitutes.

The Lost and Damned has received a 15+ rating in Australia, the highest allowed.

Rockstar’s released The Lost and Damned, GTA IV’s first major piece of DLC, as you can see here.

The content’s priced at 1,600 MS Points, and features around 10 hours of gameplay.

You need the original GTA IV disc in the drive to play it, remember, and it’s a 360-only thing. Just in case you’d forgotten.

Thanks Michael O’Connor.

To celebrate the release of GTA IV’s first major bit of DLC this morning, Microsoft’s put out a Lost and Damned Avatar clothing pack. Just to get you in the mood.

Here’s what you get. It’s all free.

Guys:

• Rocker Jacket
• Pixie Boots
• Grunge Pants
• Metal Combats
• Top Hat
• Skull Ring
• Leather Biker Gloves
• Left Feather Earring
• Right Feather Earring

Girls:

• Punk Tee
• Black 60’s Boots
• Leopard Print Leggings
• Biker Jacket
• Biker Gloves
• Skull Wrist Band
• Left Feather Earring
• Right Feather Earring

GTA IV DLC The Lost and Damned will be available for download this morning at 8.00am GMT.

That’s 3.00am EST, if that’s where you are, or midnight on the West Coast.

We’ll let you know when it’s gone up.

The first wave of reviews for The Lost and Damned, GTA IV’s first piece of 360 DLC, has gone live.

Everything so far below. Post in the comments if you want something added.

• TVG – 10
• TeamXbox – 9.7
• Eurogamer – 8
• IGN – 8.6
• Kikizo – 9
• Gamespot – “Downloadable content isn’t something that we review right now…”
• 1UP – B+
• IGN video review – After the break
• CVG – 9

Update – There’s video of it after the break.

Yep, that’s what it says. Kikizo’s reporting that GTA IV’s first bit of DLC features an actual penis. Well, a virtual penis, but you know what we mean.

We can hear the Daily Mail’s twitching heart from here.

Full details after the break. Be warned. There’s a spoiler here, so don’t look if you care about such things.

The scene, which players will encounter about a third of the way into the game’s substantial 10-hour-plus story, sees protagonist Johnny Klebitz’ first encounter with a new character, Congressman Thomas Stubbs. Stubbs has just received a back massage from an unknown lady, and goes about discussing business with Johnny entirely in the nude.

What makes it so surprising is that throughout the scene, nothing is seen for the most part, so it’s just Rockstar’s typical dry sense of humour; its loves flirting with controversy, and that comes across in all but the briefest glimpses of just the top of Stubbs’ pubic region.

And then, right at the end of the scene, BANG: Rockstar stops ‘flirting’ with controversy and gives it a full on facial. Full-on cock and balls, on your screen, on Xbox 360, in GTA IV.

The BradyGames Lost and Damned strategy guide’s releasing on February 20, the company confirmed today.

Buy it and you’ll have:

• Complete walkthrough to all new missions
• “In-depth” area maps
• Listing of all weapons and vehicles
• “Expert” multiplayer strategy
• Price: £8.99

The first episode of 360′s exclusive GTA IV DLC launches tomorrow.

After the break. The hugely anticipated piece of GTA IV DLC launches tomorrow for 360.

As you can see from the movie, it’s looking none too shabby.

Rockstar dev boss Jeronimo Barrera has confirmed that GTA IV DLC The Lost and Damned – releasing tomorrow – is at the limit of Live’s file-size restriction, and should be considered a full game.

“There’s nothing ever been out like it,” Barrera told Major Nelson in the first section of a two-part audio interview.

“We’ve done a full game in my opinion, in terms of the production quality and the new gameplay mechanics.

“We’ve literally reached the maximum memory size that we can do for DLC with Microsoft.

“You’re going to get a lot of game.”

Barrera, however, refused to put a play-time estimate on the content, saying only that players can expect “hours and hours and hours” of bang for their buck.

The exec also took the opportunity to snipe at other premium DLC, saying Rockstar had pushed the concept further than anything else yet available.

“That’s not to say there hasn’t been good downloadable content: obviously, there has been, but I find a lot of the time the stuff you can download to be more of an appendage to a game in terms of, you know, a new area opens up, or you can travel to another island, or something like that,” he said.

“You know, it’s cool, and it keep fans coming back, but [there's] nothing that’s crossed story arcs and that’s what we’re trying to do, to push this, to deliver… a new experience, and I think we’ve hit it right out of the ballpark.”

The full thing’s through the link. Well worth a listen.

God. Just because. After the break’s a video of some people de-boxing a limited edition, hand-painted Lost and Damned 360 Elite in a car.

Apparently only 190 of these were made and, obviously, you can’t buy them. You win them.

There’s more on Engadget.

As seen on MTV, Rockstar’s $20 GTA IV expansion is adding at least $20 worth of family-wrecking devil music. Maybe even enough to wreck two or three families, if you’re lucky.

Radio stations Liberty City Hardcore (death metal), The Beat (hip-hop), Radio Broker (indie), and Liberty Rock Radio (take a guess) will all add new songs to their rotations, while The Beat and LCH will also employ new DJs in these Tough Economic Times, those generous souls.

Rockstar’s still keeping the full list of new tracks under wraps, but we’ll make sure to let you know the magic eight-ball stops reading “Ask again later.”

The link holds all the knowledge. Go look at it.

Microsoft’s making Live play available for all those buying GTA IV DLC The Lost and Damned later this month. Anyone will be able to play the add-on online, regardless of Live status, from February 17-22.

Great news if you’re still to make the jump to Gold membership.

The Lost and Damned required the full GTA IV disc to play and will cost 1600 MS Points.

Tonight’s GameTrailers TV episode is to feature footage of GTA IV DLC The Lost and Damned, as well as a first look at Left 4 Dead’s now-announced Survival Pack content.

It’s going live at 1.00am PST, with is 9.00am GMT for the Britishers in the crowd. More here.

Thanks, Kotaku.

Rockstar’s lifted a playtest embargo on GTA IV: The Lost and Damned, meaning 3,000 websites have gone live with simultaneous impressions.

The content – exclusive to 360, in case you’d forgotten – will release on Febuary 17. As all these articles will tell you repeatedly.

For ease, some links. Play spot the difference.

• CVG
• Gameplayer
• Eurogamer
• Kikizo
• Kotaku
• Gamespot
• IGN
• 1UP