Apparently the German branch of GameStop knows something the rest of us don't about the next entry in Rockstar's critically acclaimed series.

The German website is currently listing Grand Theft Auto V as a January 2012 release. The date should be taken with a grain of salt, however, as the game retailer (and parent company of Game Informer) has a reputation for guestimating release windows for popular titles.

A 2012 release jives with a previous statement made by Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter, who said "We fully expect the next installment of Grand Theft Auto to be released by Q4:12 at the latest, as the company's contracts with the three employees most instrumental in the game's development (Les Benzies, Sam and Dan Houser) expire in January 2012."

The normally tight lipped developer has been plagued by a series of casting call leaks that point to the next entry returning to sunny San Andreas. If the GameStop listing is true, we should expect a formal announcement later this year.

The previous entry in the series, Grand Theft Auto IV, is still the highest rated Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game on Metacritic.

[Source: CVG]