Good news for "Grand Theft Auto" fans! Rockstar's "GTA VI" is reportedly in the preliminary stages of development, with an Osama Bin Laden character allegedly joining the game's roster of characters.

Tech Radar reported that the game developer has already started preliminary work on the highly anticipated sequel, but a location for the game hasn't been decided on.

There have been reports that Rockstar earlier dabbled in the idea of a "Grand Theft Auto" game being set in Tokyo, Japan. The idea was apparently serious enough for the company to make several trips to the country to take pictures, get the feel of the city and the locals.

It's been said that Rockstar even filed trademark applications for "GTA: Tokyo," "GTA: Bogota," and "GTA: Sin City," but none of these games materialized.

Japan's complicated road system was said to have created some then-insurmountable challenges and the idea of a "GTA" set in another country was shelved in favor of continuing the tradition of the game being set in the United States.

Admittedly, the foray into Tokyo's streets reportedly occurred during the time when Rockstar was still developing "GTA III" and "GTA: Vice City."

While today's technology might make it easier (in some ways) to translate Tokyo's streets into something that can be used in "GTA VI," it's unlikely to happen as the series is already so entrenched in U.S. locations, car models, and brand names.

Of course, preliminary work being made on "GTA VI" doesn't automatically mean that Rockstar is prioritizing the game's development. After all, the company still has "GTA Online" and it's quite the moneymaker for the company.

Still, this is exciting news as it adds something new to the numerous speculations surrounding the game. To recap, there have been rumors that the impending game would have a bigger map and that celebrities Eva Mendes and Ryan Gosling would be lending their voices to the game.

One fun rumor that has also surfaced is the one about Osama Bin Laden being included in the next game. The notorious al-Qaeda leader will reportedly be one of the targets in the game's Bonus International Missions, which means that the player's goal would be to shoot or run down the terrorist.

There's no word yet on when "GTA VI" will be released, but with "GTA V" released five years after "GTA IV," games have calculated that the next game might be released sometime in 2017 or 2018.