The developer that did so much for the PlayStation 2 with the Grand Theft Auto series looks set to bring an all-new game franchise to the PlayStation 3. 

A totally new game franchise will be coming from Rockstar Games--creator of the Manhunt and Grand Theft Auto series--and it will be exclusive to Sony's PlayStation 3.

SCEA's director of third-party relations, Michael Shorrock, wrote on the official US PlayStation blog, "As part of our long standing relationship with Rockstar, and the incredible success for both companies with the cultural icon that is Grand Theft Auto we've agreed to the PlayStation exclusive rights of the next great franchise from the Rockstar studios."

Nothing whatsoever was revealed about the new franchise except the clarification that it would not be LA Noire.

According to Shorrock, "Rockstar really wanted to make a game that you can truly only do on PS3." He also said that the reason Sony locked the IP down as an exclusive deal was because it believed that it would "set the bar for the rest of the industry."

Recently, more and more titles which were previously thought to be exclusive to one console or another have been announced as multiplatform, including Assassin's Creed, Fatal Inertia, and Devil May Cry 4. Some media speculation stated that former Sony chief Ken Kutaragi's "slowness" in tying up the red tape of the deals had led to Sony losing exclusives for the PS3.