Multiplayer released separately

[Guanxi]

I understand that Grand Theft Auto IV is everything Rockstar intended it to be and is a fully complete 30+ hour gaming experience which is good value for money, but in my opinion GTA IV and hopefully the next major title could have shipped with substantially more content and subsequently more replay value given the development time had multiplayer functionality been released separately at a later date. I know it sounds like an oxymoron but bare with me.

 

Additional resources during development that would have been free-up could have been used to create a more rounded game with more activities, pastimes, enterable interiors, items, and random characters, etc in the final product. A similar strategy was used shortly after Fable 2 co-op though likely for different reasons.

 

Of course Rockstar had promised multiplayer modes long before the delay and it was a big incentive to motivate the initial cost purchase however in-enigmatic. Media reception would not have been as favorable without it, but had Rockstar Games announced the delay of multiplayer during the delay and explained the situation, expectations would have been managed and multiplayer hotly-anticipated and could have been strategically placed between april and the release of the first dlc.

 

Additional development time for multiplayer modes and testing on both consoles could have resulted in better performance and stability. Maybe even more modes. It could have been a patch or a free download via Live/PSN. They could have priced/bundled some modes within reason with additional achievements or trophies. It would have kept the hype going in the gaming media for months after release with speculation, the wait for DLC would have seemed shorter.

 

People without a hard drive would have either been forced to get one or go without, at an obvious advantage to M$. Microsoft also might have done a deal for XBL timed exclusivity.

 

If GTA IV could have been up to 60+ hours long would the wait for multiplayer may have been justified?

 

Would this be a good move for future titles?