Expected to launch before the end of the 'winter' period (in other words, before March 1st 2009), Rockstar Games has today revealed the first tantalising details of the Grand Theft Auto IV downloadable content.

In an interview with American tabloid USA Today, Rockstar's Dan Houser spoke about the anticipated DLC, which the newspaper reports will launch on February 17th, and revealed the player character as Johnny Klebitz.  A member of biker gang The Lost, which crossed paths with GTA IV's Niko Bellic, Houser gave a brief outline of the character.  "Johnny is a very different character than Niko, with a very different background...I can't go into too much detail on the story, because we try not to give away too much plot before the game is released. But I can say that the story will show you a different side of Liberty City."

USA Today also reports that the first episode of downloadable content is called 'The Lost and Damned'.

But what about the decisions made by the player in the first game, how will the DLC take them into account? "The story is not directly impacted by decisions you took in the main game," said Houser,  "[but] tons of details and mysteries from the main story get explained, so it will add a lot of color to the main story."


UPDATE

Rockstar has followed shortlly with an official announcement of The Lost and Damned.  Confirming that the storyline will intersect the original GTA IV plot, the first Xbox 360 exlcusive episode will feature new missions "that offer an entirely fresh way to explore Liberty City", new multiplayer modes, weapons, vehicles and additional songs.

"Making these episodes has enabled us to expand the narrative and the experience of interacting with a game world in really innovative ways," said Sam Houser, Founder of Rockstar Games. "We hope fans of the game enjoy the new way of experiencing life in Liberty City contained in this first episode."

In addition, Rockstar has sent out the first four screens The Lost and Damned in action, so make sure to check them out.