This week, Rockstar Games released a teaser trailer to the highly anticipated update GTA V fans have been waiting for, online Heists. The trailer features a four player co-op mode allowing players to properly prep for their upcoming mission.

Now fans of GTA V have been waiting well over a year for heists to be available online. Every new update or patch was always met with anticipation and anxiousness for its release. Lead mission designer and GTA online producer, Imran Sarwar, spoke exclusively to IGN about some of the issues surrounding the update and what can be expected when it’s released next year. He addresses the number one question fans have been wondering, why has it taken so long for heists to become a reality? “To be honest, they just turned out to be a lot more difficult than we originally thought.” Sarwar goes on to state that the complexity of delivering multi-tiered missions for multiple players was quite challenging. He also mentions that it is important that each player, “feels central to the action at all times.” There was also the issue of having several core members of his production team, create next gen versions for GTA V.

We never want to have to move a date but if something is delayed, it’s because it’s not at the level we expect of ourselves. And while we’re not there yet, we’re getting close and Heists will be ready early in 2015.

Another question on fans minds is how exactly will Heists work? Sarwar explains that heists will be made up of a four man team with one designated leader. Players will have to be over rank 12 to participate and the leader will need to have a high end apartment, for mapping out heists. While being the leader does have its perks, such as speaking to Lester directly and essentially planning out the entire mission, it does have some downfalls. Leaders will have to front all the operation costs and will only receive payout once the finale is complete. There will be up to five different types of Heists you can play with over 20 total missions adding up to over 20 hours of game play. Rewards for playing different variations of heists such as playing with the same group of players for different sets or playing in first person mode will be rewarded with cash.

In the mean time, GTA V fans can keep busy with the games most current update. You will definitely see the GTA community getting ready for the holiday season with its festive update that includes ugly sweaters, snowball fights, gingerbread men masks, and much more. Also players can now add a third property, which will allow more space for vehicles and bikes. For a detailed list for the update please visit Rockstar Games.

It is a nice gift for GTA fans to finally get some more concrete news on Heists missions. To say that we have not been waiting for this announcement would be understatement. I for one cannot wait to finally see it out and ready to play. Though it has been frustrating that we’ve been promised this update for so long, it’s certainly understandable since GTA V has far surpassed many expectations, gimmicks aside. Heists online will be available sometime early 2015 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 3. A PC version of GTA is currently in its final stages as stated on Rockstar Newswire, Asked & Answered.

To read the rest of GTA Online Producer, Imran Sarwar’s interviews please visit IGN.