Exclusive to Xbox 360 - also to be released together with The Lost and Damned at retail.

Grand Theft Auto IV screenshot

Rockstar Games has announced the autumn 2009 release of the second episode of Grand Theft Auto IV, The Ballad of Gay Tony, exclusively for download on Xbox LIVE.

According to Rockstar, The Ballad of Gay Tony injects Liberty City with an overdose of guns, glitz, and grime. As Luis Lopez, part-time hoodlum and full-time assistant to legendary nightclub impresario Tony Prince (aka "Gay Tony"), players will struggle with the competing loyalties of family and friends, and with the uncertainty about who is real and who is fake in a world in which everyone has a price.

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"Liberty City is the most vibrant game world we've created yet. The episodic structure has allowed us to interweave stories, gameplay and atmosphere in a whole new way," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "The team at Rockstar North have yet again surpassed themselves, and made something that is both epic and very innovative. This episode's focus on high-end night life contrasts with the biker gangs portrayed in The Lost and Damned, whilst giving us a lot of new gameplay possibilities."

In addition to the episode's release on Xbox LIVE Marketplace, Rockstar has announced the retail release of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, which will include both episode one The Lost and Damned, and episode two The Ballad of Gay Tony together on a single disc for Xbox 360.

The Ballad of Gay Tony will release on Xbox LIVE this autumn for $19.99 or 1600 MS points and requires players to have Grand Theft Auto IV for Xbox 360. Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City will be in stores simultaneously with the release of The Ballad of Gay Tony on Xbox LIVE and will not require a copy of Grand Theft Auto IV in order to play.