GTA IV tops US$500 million, Aussie gamers choose Xbox 360

Mike Bantick
Thursday, 08 May 2008 07:18

Your IT - Entertainment

Finally, confirmation of what we suspected, Grand Theft Auto IV is earning publisher Take Two and [hopefully] developer RockStar huge barrels of cash.  Meanwhile in Australia sales of GTA IV for the Xbox 360 topped those of rival Sony PS3.

Stop talking and lean out the window for a moment, hear that?  The sound of cash registers chinking away as Grand Theft Auto IV is passed over counters all over the world.

Surpassing all-time entertainment records for day one and week one sales Grand Theft Auto IV has now reached 6 million units sold ( 3.6 million leaving retail on day one).

This gives a dollar value exceeding US$500 million blowing the US$300 million achieved by Halo 3 (albeit on one platform only) out of first place.

It of course, also blows away any movie release first week return, but given the disparity between cost of a movie ticket versus the retail charges for GTA IV it is not too much of a surprise.

"We knew Grand Theft Auto IV would break new ground in terms of the player's experience, with its compelling story line, extraordinary gameplay and action that ranges over a broad urban canvas. Now, it has broken sales and rating records as well. Grand Theft Auto IV's first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date. We congratulate the entire Rockstar team on creating a must-have experience that takes the legendary Grand Theft Auto franchise to a new level," said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two.

"Rockstar's goal is to make each new title in the Grand Theft Auto franchise even better than those that preceded it, and Grand Theft Auto IV is a smashing success on that score. Grand Theft Auto IV makes full use of the power of next generation technology, and offers players an experience unique in the interactive entertainment medium. This game sets a new standard in the industry, with critics hailing it as both an artistic and technological masterpiece," said Ben Feder, Take-Two's Chief Executive Officer