Grand Theft Auto V's announcement won't hurt Saints Row: The Third, says THQ.

It's business as usual at THQ headquarters. Excitement is high regarding the publisher's upcoming Saints Row: The Third, and everyone's working hard to ensure the game's the biggest success it possibly can be. Then suddenly Rockstar updates its website, announcing Grand Theft Auto V.

The news must have hit like a punch to the throat. THQ boss Brian Farrell says that's not the case.

“I went online like everyone to see the GTA trailer," he said during THQ's financial conference overnight. “As you point out, it’s a high quality trailer and I think it’s going to be another fantastic game in the GTA series.

“[But] GTA is still serious and character driven – a very different experience [to Saints Row]. If you saw our video today - it shows you all the crazy stuff in the game.

“It’s a totally different positioning, and if you read the forums it’s like ‘hey, I love GTA, and I love this game because it’s a very different game that knows what it is and is very entertaining.’”

We actually think Farrell's got a strong argument. While Saints Row was initially conceived to steal some of the Grand Theft Auto dollars early in the generation, it's definitely gone in its own direction.

We're sure THQ would have preferred to have gone into launch without the Grand Theft Auto V trailer, but we doubt it will have heavy implications.

Farrell explained that Saints Row: The Third already has pre-orders four times greater than Saints Row 2. Positive news then. We're secretly quite excited about the prospect of taking control of a human sized hot-dog.