Rockstar Games has today confirmed Midnight Club: Los Angeles for Xbox 360 and PlayStation, with a broad release date of early 2008. The game, the first instalment in the street racing franchise since 2005's Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, is currently in development at Rockstar's San Diego studio.

"Midnight Club's addictive blend of freedom, style and sheer sense of speed sets it apart from its competition," said Sam Houser, Founder and Executive Producer of Rockstar Games. "With Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Rockstar San Diego looks to once again push the boundaries and expectations of what a racing game can be. Rockstar San Diego has always been the technology leader in delivering the ultimate racing experience, and with this game, they are looking to re-define the idea of a completely immersive racing game experience, both offline and online."

"On prior consoles, the Midnight Club franchise continually raised the bar for racing games, evolving from being the first ever street racing game to setting the defining standard for credibly integrating street racing culture with an intense racing experience," said Jay Panek, Producer of the Midnight Club series. "With Midnight Club: Los Angeles, our goal is to evolve on all possible levels and stay true to the hardcore gaming experience the series is known for, while making it accessible to casual gamers and car enthusiasts."

Further details on the game are currently unknown, but expect the mass onslaught of car customisation options to form a significant element of the gameplay. It does seem however that Rockstar are continuing with the single-city theme started with GTA IV by subtitling the fourth outing of Midnight Club, "Los Angeles" - hopefully this will mean that the gameworld will be closer in size and scale to the US city rather than just another example of scaling back in the next-generation.