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Sony has issued an apology to developer Rockstar after audio from forthcoming title Grand Theft Auto 5 was leaked online.

Customers who had pre-ordered the eagerly awaited game were allowed to download a "locked" version ahead of the game's release.

But some people were able to extract audio from the game - details of which were posted on forums.

Rockstar said it was "deeply disappointed" by the leaks.

"Unfortunately some people who downloaded the digital pre-order of Grand Theft Auto 5 through the PlayStation Store in Europe were able to access certain GTA5 assets leading to leaked information and media from the game appearing online.

"As you can imagine, we are deeply disappointed by leaks and spoilers being spread in advance of the game's launch.

"GTA5 represents years of hard work by many people across the world, and we all couldn't be more excited to finally share it with you properly this 17 September."

The company warned that anyone posting plot details from the game ahead of its release would be temporarily banned from its community.

However, this was too late for some fans who said they were disappointed to learn of details which previously had been securely under wraps.

One user commenting on the Sony blog said: "Thanks a lot Sony for basically spoiling the ending of GTA5 before the game was even released."

In its statement, Sony said it had now removed the digital pre-order file from the European PlayStation store.

The Grand Theft Auto series has for several years been one of the highest-grossing titles across all gaming platforms. However it has often caused controversy, with calls made to ban it in several countries.

This latest release will feature an online mode, allowing 15 players to exist in the same game at once.