Nintendo has recently announced that everyones favorite franchise, Grand Theft Auto, will be coming to the Nintendo DS.

Entitled GTA: China Town Wars, the game will feature a custom game engine and will take place in modern day Liberty City (a la GTA 4).

Could ‘custom game engine’ mean that the game will go back to the franchise’s roots and feature birds-eye-view gameplay? Let’s hope not, unless of course you’re into that sorta’ thing.

UPDATE: It seems that the games official website has recently went live and tells us that the game will hit shelves this December.

Press release after the break.

Rockstar Games Announces Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS™

The newest entry in the Grand Theft Auto series for Nintendo’s handheld system this winter

NEW YORK—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Rockstar Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), is proud to announce Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Developed by Rockstar Leeds in conjunction with series creators Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars will be available on the Nintendo DS™ in North America and Europe this winter.

“This is a game that will deliver a rich, fast-paced and intense ‘Grand Theft Auto’ experience that will be truly unique to Nintendo’s handheld platform,” said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. “Rockstar Leeds, along with the team at Rockstar North, has built upon a decade of progressive design on Grand Theft Auto, and has created something fundamentally fresh and immersive.”

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is an entirely original entry into the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto series, and brings a new level of interactivity to its sprawling open environments. With the use of the DS touch screen, players will navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind an epic tale of crime and corruption within the Triad crime syndicate, delivering the unprecedented amount of depth that has become a true trademark of the franchise.

For more information about Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, visit: http://www.rockstargames.com/chinatownwars