Opinion: Five reasons Grand Theft Auto Mobile makes sense

We are officially in a childish, petulant huff. We have gone all pouty and our noses are pointed firmly skyward. We don't want to eat our greens, we don't want to tidy up the mess we made and, no, we will not play nicely. Why? Because GTA IV is about to be released on consoles and our darling mobiles aren't getting in on any of the action. That's why.

Now we know it's not entirely rational to complain, but it's not like we're asking for that much, given there are plenty of mobile versions of triple-A, blockbuster PC and console hits. Our handsets are home to palatable versions of Prey, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Assassins Creed, God of War and BioShock's on the way too. Why not GTA, especially as the first two versions of the game used top-down 2D graphics.

So here are five reasons why we think GTA should be on mobile. (And no, it doesn't include ringtone sales.)

1. Because GTA is a drop-in/drop-out game.

One of GTA's strengths is that you can sit for hours, completing missions, doing side-quests and generally noodling around the free-roaming cityscape. Or you can jump in for 15 minutes of unscripted but amazingly satisfying carnage. What better platform then than mobile, where the game could keep you busy on those long commutes as well as filling a few minutes at lunchtime (or when your boss isn't looking).

2. Because there is a GTA-shaped hole in the mobile market.

People have tried to do GTA on mobile – Ubisoft's had a bash with the American Gangster film licence and THQ with Saints Row, while developer Tag is brewing up Car Jack City – but there's not yet been anything that compares to the ambition of the GTA games. With mobile phones getting more powerful and with more money being spent on them, a big franchise game like GTA that's already achieved household name status before it goes to market could really clean up. Maybe even sell some gaming phones. How about it Sony Ericsson/Nokia?

3. Because mobile could bring something unique to the experience.

Imagine a mobile version of GTA where you had to go and take photos of famous landmarks in your city as part of a mission. Or had to hunt down other players via GPS in your own town in a multiplayer deathmatch game (something promised in Gizmondo's never-released Colors games). Perhaps we could use accelerometer-equipped devices to drive cars or a touchscreen-equipped one to pick locks and rub off finger prints from a house we've just robbed. For all the graphical flash and bang that the under the TV consoles provides, there are loads of ways in which the unique array of interfaces afforded by mobile devices could add innovative features to the GTA gameplay.

4. Because, at heart, GTA is a casual game.

No. Come back. Let us explain. Strip back the shooting, crime and prostitutes and GTA is a classic arcade game where you learn a simple set of rules and then apply them in different situations. Or you can ignore the missions and just drive around. That's the reason GTA has been such a success. Like Tetris and The Sims, it appeals to people who don't play games. This is the same audience that mobile gaming has proved popular with, which is another good reason GTA would make a great and successful mobile franchise.

5. Because it's going to happen one way or the other.

Anyone following the business side of the games industry will know EA is in the middle of an aggressive take-over attempt on GTA publisher Take-Two. No one knows what will happen but given Take-Two doesn't publish games on mobile and Rockstar doesn't make mobile games while EA does both, we all know what will happen if the deal does go through. But even if it doesn't, Take-Two isn't in the best shape financially and a GTA mobile deal would be an obvious cash-in possibility, especially if it just sold the licence to another mobile publisher. We're sure there would be plenty of takers.

So there you have it. We have no doubt there are purists who think it heresy to port a GTA game to mobile, and we're not saying the attempt would be successful, but for us these arguments are compelling enough for someone to at least make the attempt. What do you think?