Russian gamers are over the moon. The fourth installment of the controversial video game Grand Theft Auto (GTA IV) went on sale worldwide on Tuesday, with expectations that it would break sales records. The launch is being billed as the biggest entertainm

At 8pm on Tuesday, fans who had queued for hours outside twelve of Moscow’s biggest computer retailers finally got their hands on the new part of the controversial video game.

“The waiting was unbearable. I couldn't sleep, study or work. All you could think about was that game. The hype about it has been unbelievable. It's probably the most anticipated project of the computer-gaming era,” one of the fans said.

Those who know the game say they’re not surprised.

“It’s a game that’s a piece of art. It’s more about creativity and story telling, than about making money,” Vladimir Vereshchagin, Microsoft Russia PR & Marketing Manager, said.
 
The industry forecasts that GTA IV will gross about $US 400 million in sales worldwide in its first week alone. That will smash all records.

In Russia, it’s thought that the GTA’s popularity will help grow gaming industry nationwide.

“In Russia we’re not expecting millions of sales. But I think that we’ll achieve pretty good numbers and GTA IV for sure will be this year’s number one game,” said Sergey Amirdjanov, Soft Club Marketing Director.

The game casts the player as an Eastern European immigrant who runs drugs, shoots policemen and beats up prostitutes. And the soundtrack features Russian rap artist Seryoga, nicknamed the ‘Slavic Emimem’.
 
Its violent storyline means GTA IV comes with an 18 rating, something that’s not legally binding in Russia.

And while the racy plot has drawn fire from family groups and politicians across the pond, it doesn’t seem to have affected the games worldwide popularity.