Rockstar’s long silent PlayStation 3 exclusive Agent could finally resurface this June, if a tip passed along to VGHQ turns out to be accurate. According to an anonymous source, Sony appears to be preparing to show what was described to us as “jaw dropping” footage of the game at E3 2011. Please treat this one strictly as a rumor. We have not been able to verify the claim, and neither Sony nor Rockstar has said anything publicly about Agent appearing at the show.
Our source claims the footage runs to more than two minutes of gameplay and will be followed by the first proper official details on the game. The tip also suggests the game is expected to release in 2012. None of that has been confirmed by either company, and plans for a show as large as E3 can change right up until the doors open.
Agent Has Been Quiet Since E3 2009
If it pans out, it would be the first real look at a project that has been almost entirely invisible since it was named. Agent was first unveiled at Sony’s E3 2009 conference, where Rockstar shared little beyond a name and a premise. Sony had already said at E3 2007 that Rockstar was working on a new franchise exclusively for its console, and the 2009 reveal finally put a name to it.
What we do know is promising. The game is being developed by Rockstar North, the Edinburgh studio behind Grand Theft Auto, and is set during the Cold War in the late 1970s. Rockstar’s announcement described a world of counterintelligence, espionage and political assassinations, which is fertile ground for a studio known for open worlds full of characters and satire. Ben Feder, a senior executive at Rockstar’s parent company, talked the project up as genre defining back in 2009, and the company confirmed in March 2010 that development was continuing. Beyond that, there has been no footage, no screenshots and no release window.
Why A Showing Would Matter For PS3 Owners
That long silence is exactly why a showing would matter so much to PS3 owners. Sony has spent the last couple of years building a strong slate of exclusives, and a new property from the makers of Grand Theft Auto would be one of the biggest gets any platform holder could put on stage. It would also give Rockstar a second major release to talk about alongside L.A. Noire, which arrives in North America on May 17.
E3 2011 runs from June 7 to 9 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, so the wait to find out will not be long. Until then, keep expectations in check. Anonymous tips are exactly that, and Agent has been quiet long enough that nobody outside Rockstar can say for sure how far along it is. We will update this story if Sony or Rockstar comment.