The debate as to whether narrative videogame experiences can ever replace movies may rage on for years but, when it comes to the financial power of videogame entertainment, sandbox crime caper Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) is currently showing that the gaming industry cuts the mustard -- not the cheese -- when it comes to attracting an audience.
Grand Theft Auto IV outperforms Hollywood in opening week sales. Image: MNgilen/Flickr.
Specifically, GTA IV publisher Take-Two Interactive has revealed that the Rockstar Games-developed epic has already sold around 6 million copies worldwide since it launched on April 29. That figure equates to an astounding $500 million USD in sales for the game, which reportedly cost $100 million to create.
Having already destroyed the UK launch day sales record for a videogame title (which was previously held by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas), the audience momentum presently supporting Grand Theft Auto IV could well see it become the biggest selling game in history.
“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,” trumpeted Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two, in a related statement.
Notably, GTA IV’s gargantuan sales performance is also bolstered by unprecedented critical acclaim, with the game currently boasting an industry-leading 99% review score average through online aggregator Metacritic.com. That average is garnered from 53 reviews, 34 of which -- including the likes of IGN, GameSpot and EDGE Magazine -- award the game a perfect score.
While GTA IV’s opening $500 million USD retail harvest beats out the $300 million USD amassed in the same time by last year’s Xbox 360 flagship title Halo 3, it is also likely to prick the ears of countless Hollywood executives in light of it even surpassing the opening $406 million USD taken globally by Disney blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End.
Analyst predictions related to the long-term sales of Grand Theft Auto IV suggest that it is likely to reach around 13 million unit sales by the close of 2008, which will take the game’s monetary haul well over the billion dollar mark in only 8 months.
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