Grand Theft Auto: Built for the long haul

NEW YORK - In a video game industry known for cranking out sequels, Rockstar Games has cashed in big by making "Grand Theft Auto" fans painfully wait for their next fix of the shoot 'em up blockbuster.

It has been a decade since GTA V hit the streets and Rockstar's earlier-than-expected release of the first trailer of the game's sequel sent fans into an ecstatic online frenzy.

Awaiting the 90-second video, a member of a Reddit forum devoted to the game posted a modified photo of Pope Francis reverentially holding up Rockstar's trailer message.

"It feels like I don't deserve to witness such a monumental moment," wrote another of the Reddit forum's 193,000 members.

Still, according to the trailer, they will have to wait until 2025 before living out the gangster life in the game's fictional Vice City.

Rockstar fuels player fervor by keeping quiet on everything about an upcoming game's progress as well as staying mute on details like setting, characters or features.

The company also has a history of letting the creative development of the game dictate when it is released, rather than promising a specific date that teams have to scramble to make.

"They've never announced a date for their games, which also saves them from eventually having to reschedule them" if development doesn't progress as planned, Moody's Investors Services vice president Neil Begley said of Rockstar.

"They have this freedom, and it makes sense to avoid damaging the brand," he added.

Installments of GTA and Rockstar's Read Dead Redemption are among the best-selling games of all time, bringing in billions of dollars.