Mattrick: GTA IV online multiplayer "unique to 360"

Too funny. Don Mattrick, head of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division, has seemingly confirmed that "online multiplayer support" for GTA IV will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 version.

"It's an amazing piece of software and I'm really excited with its downloadable content and online multiplayer support," he said, speaking to Major Nelson. "Again, that's something that's unique to 360. We think consumers are going to love that and it's going to create, what I would describe again as the premium experience on our platform."

If true, the news will rock PlayStation 3 owners and will be a massive USP for the Xbox 360 version. Both SKUs are releasing globally on April 29.

The word "multiplayer" appeared for the first time in relation to the game when its official website launched recently, but was ghosted out. Since then, Rockstar has actively sought to keep the game's multiplayer details off the web, with varying degrees of success.