GTA IV snatches $500 million in first week

by Ludwig Kietzmann { May 7th 2008 at 6:30AM }

At last! The miserable, sleepless nights we've had to endure since Grand Theft Auto IV's launch will come to an end, with the New York Times thoughtfully informing us just how much money a gigantic corporation has earned from the release of one of the year's most anticipated games. That would be 500 million dollars in the first week, just so you know.

Other statistics expected to escape from Take-Two's maw later today (Update: The figures have now been officially announced by Take-Two) point to the open-ended carjack caper having sold 6 million copies so far -- 3.6 million on the first day. Though Rockstar's smash success comes as little surprise and exceeds expectations, it'll be more interesting to see how it affects EA's ongoing hostile takeover attempt. Will the deal be sweetened?

[Thanks, Jacques]

Tags: BreakingNews, Grand-Theft-Auto, Grand-Theft-Auto-IV, GTA-IV, gtaiv, Rockstar, Take-Two

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Raikage (LDF CRAB BATTLE!!!) @ May 7th 2008 6:33AM

Now T2 can buy EA!

mike @ May 7th 2008 8:17AM

I wish. Unfotunetly EA sells more then $500 million worth every year on their sports games alone. I hate EA :(

Consolcwby @ May 7th 2008 6:36AM

And imagine how many copies this game could've sold if it wasn't so buggy right now!... I know TOO many people waiting for a patch before buying!

konajinx @ May 7th 2008 6:47AM

So...it could have sold five more copies, then? Wowie.

Raikage (LDF CRAB BATTLE!!!) @ May 7th 2008 6:56AM

I (and the rest of the internetz) don't believe you.

Korova @ May 7th 2008 7:46AM

Oh, please ...

STFU
go jump in a lake
troll
you must be PS3 owner

Did I miss anything?

Shmil @ May 7th 2008 9:41AM

So...what are these bugs you are speaking of?

Vidikron (FU) @ May 7th 2008 10:45AM

This game has TONS of bugs... but I haven't seen anything that breaks the game or that has lessened my enjoyment. Most are just amusing.

MasterInsan0 @ May 7th 2008 1:42PM

I would think that the recession would be a much more likely candidate for cutting GTA4 sales. I know I can't afford it, even though I direly want to play it.

tmacairjordan87 @ May 7th 2008 2:47PM

I'm now 63 hours in or so and still not 1 bug or problem. This 6th 360 microsoft sent me must be magical cause it ran mass effect with no issues either.

svenhoek @ May 7th 2008 8:22PM

No, MS was just tired of sending you new ones so they actually made you a decent one.

I kid, I kid. But seriously, this is your sixth 360? I love my 360, but after 3 I wouldve asked for my money back and gotten a PS3 lol.

Consolcwby @ May 7th 2008 9:02PM

Oh sure, vote me down and FUD comment all over the place... the truth is, a few of my good friends are managers at Gamestop and have related to me that some people with BOTH systems were having issues with the game. I didn't put the game down, I merely stated what is going on in the outside world. Sorry to have thought the maturity level here might be higher than most of the IQs. Won't bother you people again.

Lewis @ May 7th 2008 6:39AM

T2 isn't going anywhere.

Pro-Truth League @ May 7th 2008 7:07AM

How does this compare to Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3's release day and first week? Anyone know?

Danny @ May 7th 2008 7:24AM

COD4 sold 1.5 million units in its first month, and has sold 7 million overall since November.

Halo 3 sold 3.3 million copies in its first 12 days, and has sold about 9 million since then.

So GTA is destroying all sales records.

Supino @ May 7th 2008 7:36AM

And it is well deserving that record. One of the best games ever made (top 5).

arrrgh @ May 7th 2008 10:56AM

GOOD.

it never sat right with me that the monstrosity that was halo3 was ever on top

alu @ May 7th 2008 11:02AM

@ danny:

those numbers are across both PS3 & Xbox360 for COD4?

Halo3 sold on one system

GTA4 is across two systems.

food for thought

embassy @ May 7th 2008 11:06AM

i still wonder if it beat halo 3's first day sales record of $170 mill? with those stats it seems like it had to.

shit im just glad we're even having this discussion..the fact that 3 games collectively shit on 3 other entertainment industries is a testament to gaming...

and a testiment to banging hookers and beating them to death with baseball bats.

Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ May 7th 2008 11:13AM

Nope, one game shit all over all other forms of entertainment. Microsoft won't acknowledge this but Harry Potter 7 beat Halo3's record. However, with the new record going from $300million to $500million, this one will stick for a LONG time.

tmacairjordan87 @ May 7th 2008 2:51PM

Well the article says it sold 3.6 million copies on the first day, so not including any of the special edition games (which would just add more to the total) it made at least $216 million in that one day...so yes it did beat halo 3's record

And thank god to that is all I have to say. Now when someone asks me who's the leader I don't have to cringe when I answer.

Korova @ May 7th 2008 7:49AM

The game is great!

One thing that I am struggling with is shooting while driving - there needs to be a third analog stick for that. I cant control the camera, the car and the reticule with two sticks. I always end up wrapping a pole and failing the mission.

baby sea tuna @ May 7th 2008 8:11AM

It's definitely not easy. Then again, that's proven time and time again in real life as drive-by shootings tend to have like a 30% success rate, and usually end up killing some innocent little kid or old lady, rather than their intended target.

Korova @ May 7th 2008 8:16AM

that makes me feel better, but somehow, disturbed.

Shmil @ May 7th 2008 9:23AM

Yeah it is difficult, but it's better than the old GTA's where you could only shoot sideways unless you were on a bike. Most of those missions you had to just ram the car into a wall and they dragged out after a while. Though I may be wrong, I never spent as much time on the previous GTAs as I have this one.

xFenixKnightx @ May 7th 2008 9:53AM

It's somewhat useful. I've gotten some kills on some chase missions that way outta pure luck so its cool.

ThePremierAssassin @ May 7th 2008 10:10AM

Yeah shooting while driving is a pain.

Driving in itself takes some getting use to. Good thing the people I'm running over don't really exist...lol.

Sir Fidlious Wong (Zeon Defense Force) @ May 7th 2008 11:16AM

Driving while shooting still remains much better on Saints Row. Well, hell, aiming in general still remains better in Saints Row. But this game has a definate improvement over the gun mechanics of last GTA titles.

embassy @ May 7th 2008 12:17PM

eff the driving AND shooting...

im still having trouble just driving period. the cars in GTA apparently dont like to turn, at all.

and by no means should anyone attempt to BREAK while turning. that's a death sentence.

Korova @ May 7th 2008 12:27PM

I LOVE the driving in GTAIV - on the bridge to Bohan I split lanes in a car like a tru gangsta. I only tap the handbreak to turn, although that technique is tricky. Regular break is best.

The damage model is very forgiving and the roads laid out really well. You can cut corners through the sidewalk, drive under the arch instead of around. Very bad ass.

But maybe it feels so good because I am very used to city driving, having driven in New York all my licensed life. There is a certain rhythm to it and GTA captured it. love it.

But driving and shooting - I need a third analog stick and a third thumb.

embassy @ May 7th 2008 12:53PM

hmm...

im starting to think its the fact that i actually play real racing games. Forza and PGR have spoiled me :(

Korova @ May 7th 2008 2:48PM

Oh, its definitely arcady driving. That reminds me, I am still yet to try forza

TheHuntIsOn @ May 7th 2008 8:02AM

And there's me thinking they only made £600 off it.

Christian @ May 7th 2008 8:05AM

The game is great and I am enjoying it a lot. Not sure if I agree with the 10 scores in terms of graphics though, as after having played it for a while I have come to the conclusion that the graphics in Uncharted for instance do seem to be nicer and more detailed. I am not saying the game do not deserve a overall 10, just that maybe the 10 in terms of graphics specifically might been a little misplaced and that a 9 for graphics would probably been more appropriate.

VerticalEvent @ May 12th 2008 9:31AM

There's a big difference between Uncharted and GTA4: Uncharted has smaller environments and fewer characters on the screen at once, while GTA4 shows much larger areas and have more characters on the screen at once.

Though, I do agree that Uncharted has much nicer graphics and style, but I do think GTA4 deserves a 10 on the basis of how well the graphics do look when considering how much is going on on the screen.

Though, the real time cut scenes in GTA4 are really quite detailed.

Christian @ May 7th 2008 9:22AM

The environments in Uncharted are for sure smaller, but the area visible to your character at any given time should be approximately the same. As for number of characters on screen at the same time I haven't been in a any action yet with more than 7-8 individuals shooting/moving, which is about the same as we saw in Uncharted at any given time. Could be that GTA4 includes bigger fights further into the game than I am currently of course.

And while driving there is nothing to really compare with in Uncharted, but to look at another game which I think had crisper graphics I am not sure if GTA4 beats on Burnout Paradise in terms of unique moving entities on screen. That said I assume it might be a bit easier to animate just cars than cars+people even if the combined unit count is the same.

But once again it is a great game and I strongly recommended it to my friends, but I am just not sure I agree it classifies as benchmark if you look at graphics separately.

butaneko @ May 7th 2008 11:06AM

To put it in GamePro terms (do they still publish that crap magazine?)

Uncharted
Graphics - 5.0 *icon of guy freaking with spiky hair*
Fun Factor - 3.0

GTA IV
Graphics - 4.5
Fun Factor - 5.0

Vidikron (FU) @ May 7th 2008 10:52AM

GTAIV has an overall blurry look and I don't care for the grainy looking shadows. But you have to give the game credit for the sheer amount of "stuff" going on at once. At first I was very turned off by the grapics. I hate blurry games and the grainy shadows were almost painful to look upon. But after playing for a while I've come to really appreciate the overall scope of the game.

josh @ May 7th 2008 2:11PM

"The environments in Uncharted are for sure smaller, but the area visible to your character at any given time should be approximately the same."

this doesnt really matter, since the engine has to load far more area into memory in GTA that it does in uncharted, even if its not directly next to your current position. games with bigger environments have to make sacrifices compared to games with smaller enviroments.

Zsavior @ May 7th 2008 8:12AM

Damn that is an obscene amount of money for a first week grats to them. Good to see a small company fend off a predator, especially the greedy beast that is EA.

Chase @ May 7th 2008 8:14AM

While thoroughly enjoying Grand Theft Auto 4, I will be glad once the predictable Grand Theft Auto 4 news spree ends. Yes, it has sold a lot of copies. Yes, it's a good game. Yes, 500 million dollars is an incredible number. Yes, the cake is a lie. Yes, we didn't start the fire. Yes, to do the hokey pokey you must turn yourself about. Yes,...

MariosInferno @ May 7th 2008 8:53AM

LOL.

Couldn't agree more.

ck @ May 7th 2008 10:36AM

I have a feeling that five years from now we're all going to have the "Titanic" effect on this game. Maybe we will all look at ourselves and say "Really? Why did we like this so much? And why was it rated the best game ever?" Sort of like how Titanic took in $600 million at the box office and stole some Oscars from Good Will Hunting and LA Confidential.

ck @ May 7th 2008 10:37AM

No wait, that's going to be the Wii. Sorry.

xFenixKnightx @ May 7th 2008 8:21AM

T2? Pfft T5 FTW! Million that is! That is awesome indeed, congrats! So exactly how much did the PS3 version sell? Was it more than MKWii? Wheres Fernando? lol!

Cyro @ May 7th 2008 9:59AM

Thats a good question. I think the xbox 360 version and the ps3 version sold extremely well. We are all winners with GTA IV!

xFenixKnightx @ May 7th 2008 10:06AM

Yeah man its great and deserves all the sales. Theres just alot to do there. I'm about to unlock the last island. :) I'm on the mission where Roman is being held hostage. Hoping I beat the game in less than 30 hours.

Cyro @ May 7th 2008 10:16AM

Hmmm. I don't know if you are referring to the same mission I just did. But, if it is the one in the old construction site, then that mission is a lot of fun. Just go packing.

On another note. I don't think T2 will sell to EA. I think this company has a great future and they are reaping the benefits right now. I think the stock holders know this.