Grand Theft Auto 5 Has Shipped Over 60 Million Copies
By Kyle Sledge 02 February 2016
Grand Theft Auto 5 hits a brand new milestone for sales, as financial reports proclaim Rockstar Games’ open world title shipping over 60 million copies.
According to Take-Two Interactive’s latest earnings report, the publisher states that Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto 5 is up from its sales shipping 54 million units to an astounding 60 million. Not only does this achievement make the open world title one of the biggest contributors to Take-Two Interactive’s bottom line, but it also ensures Grand Theft Auto 5‘s spot as one of the most popular video games of all time.
After having initially released in September 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, its subsequent availability for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One undoubtedly helped Grand Theft Auto 5 continue to generate revenue well after its launch date. In fact, GTA 5‘s sales have been so steady that it went on to become 2015’s 5th best-selling game.
However, Grand Theft Auto 5‘s most recent accomplishment wasn’t enough to deter Take-Two Interactive from taking a plunge into the red. For the quarter ending in December 31, total revenue for the publisher landed at $486.8 million, and when compared to $954 million during the same period last year, it’s obvious that a sizable gap exists. The company explained that the downturn was due partially to the fact that the comparison to the last year was far too hard to meet, as it netted huge profits from the release of GTA 5 for PS4 and Xbox One, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, and Civilization: Beyond Earth.
On top of the deep dip in revenue, Take-Two’s net income was also down for the quarter, as it hit $99.7 million, compared to the last financial year’s $211.6 million, but it’s projecting a fourth quarter revenue of $260-$310 million, with full-year revenue expected to be $1.48-$1.53 billion. The company is considering its future estimations to be sound as it says that the results for the most recent quarter have been better than anticipated, particularly due to what it calls “recurrent consumer spending”. The category grew 45 percent year-over-year and made up nearly a quarter of Take-Two’s total net revenue. This includes virtual currency and DLC, of which Grand Theft Auto 5‘s online component is filled with, as it offers fans a variety of microtransactions.
Speaking of GTA Online, the fact that Rockstar Games has delivered so much premium content in the past several months is almost assuredly one of the main reasons as to why the game has continued to ship so many copies. With incredibly inventive modes like Every Bullet Counts and the most recent over-the-top update called Drop Zone that pits players against one another in parachute combat, developers are ensuring an almost endless supply of different ways to experience Grand Theft Auto, which will translate to more copies getting sold.
Plus, considering the rise of online multiplayer games, should Rockstar continue to focus more or less on Grand Theft Auto Online like the studio has said it would do in the past, GTA will definitely continue to move units. And if developers ever get around to finishing up the game’s once-promised single player story DLC, it’s possible for the title to maintain its popularity to the point of topping 2016’s best-selling charts.
Grand Theft Auto 5 is out now and is available for PC, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
Source: GameSpot
