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GTA IV drove UK broadband spike

Gaming soared post-launch, says ISP

The arrival of Grand Theft Auto IV apparently caused something of a spike in online user-activity, according to UK ISP PlusNet, who recorded record gaming traffic in the days following the game's launch.

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Apparently, up to 90,000 people were playing the game online during one two hour spell, representing a third of the ISP's subscribers, all seeing what the game could do online.

"The demand to play Grand Theft Auto IV online has been absolutely phenomenal. Our broadband usage figures have gone through the roof as customers battle it out on the streets of Liberty City," offered Neil Armstrong, product director of PlusNet.

"Gaming accounted for approximately 7.6 per cent of all downloads in that hour - we'd normally expect to see between 3.5 per cent and 5 per cent by gaming around that time of day," he added, referring to a two hour period on the day following GTA IV's launch.

More as we get it.