S. Samuel
Rockstar Games can go ahead and label its new Grand Theft Auto V video game an instant best-seller after reportedly banking nearly $1 billion in its first day.
According to reports, GTA V secured over $800 million within 24 hours of hitting stores shelves this week.
Grand Theft Auto V was released on Tuesday and it has already managed to generate just over $800 million during its first 24 hours at retail and through digital distribution channels, according to publisher Take-Two Interactive. Take-Two says that these day-one sales are the highest in the company’s history and for the Grand Theft Auto series. By comparison, Grand Theft Auto IV sold 3.6 million copies, generating $310 million during its launch day in April 2008. Take-Two has not disclosed how many GTA V copies have been sold thus far. (Game Politics)
Not only a hit in the United States, the franchise’s latest addition is also making history overseas.
GTA V also took the top spot over Call of Duty: Black Ops in the United Kingdom as the region’s fastest-selling game of all time, moving 1.57 million copies in 24 hours. The game was released on September 17 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. “All of us at Take-Two are thrilled with the initial response to Grand Theft Auto V. Once again, the team at Rockstar Games have outdone themselves, setting the entertainment industry’s new standard for creativity, innovation, and excellence,” Take-Two CEO and chairman Strauss Zelnick said in a statement. The next big thing for the franchise is GTA V’s online component, Grand Theft Auto Online, which officially launches as a free update on October 1. (Game Politics)
Voice actor Shawn Fonteno, who plays main character Franklin, referenced the billion dollar industry video games have turned into this week.
“I’m good homie, I can’t give you all my business like that. I’m good,” Fonteno added when asked how much he makes doing video game voiceovers. “Actually, we bigger than TV actors, to be honest with you. For real, man. I’ve just done something, homie, that’s like a billion plus. You know what I’m saying? We good, dog. The voice actors in these games, we are the top actors. We just ain’t out there like that but guess what? I’m out there like that. Y’all are going to see a whole bunch of me. Real talk.” (TMZ)
The new GTA title was expected to hit $1 billion in its first 30 days.
“Grand Theft Auto V,” the video game featuring gangsters swimming with sharks, is forecast to generate $1 billion in sales in one month, four times the amount Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (TTWO) spent to make it. The title, five years in the making, cost as much as $250 million to develop and market, according to Sterne Agee & Leach Inc. It hit stores today and may top the $900 million debut of its record-setting predecessor, estimates Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co. (Bloomberg)
