Regarding the company's resolution to keep the GTA IV downloadable content out of players' hands until sometime between November 1 of this year and January 31, 2009, Take-Two's Strauss Zelnick calmly stated that the decision was based on "portfolio balancing," and that the delay was "not based on development issues." Even as our hearts ached for additional Liberty City shenanigans, Take-Two reps on the call remained enthusiastic, and for good reason, given that during the last quarter the GTA brand made up an impressive 78% of the firm's total publishing revenue.
Switching grears, and looking to the ongoing drama between Take-Two and EA, Zelnick expressed pride in his company, stating that "despite distractions, everyone had their heads down and a smile on their faces and were getting the job done." The exec added, however, that Take-Two is on the lookout for any potential fits for the company in terms of partnerships, adding that "we have our eyes open to anything to maximize stockholder value, including remaining independent."
(Page 1) Reader Comments
I would not be surprised to see 'gift cards' (redeemable for GTA4 downloadable episodes) show up in retail shops at that time.
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http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/05/grand-theft-auto-iv-dlc-delayed-until-fiscal-q1-2009/
I guess this story was soooo, like, 2hrs 22min ago...
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SEriously after I beat a game, it never returns to my console, each game has a lifespan of however long it takes to beat the single player campaign and a couple multi-player missions to make sure its the same old shit as all the rest.
What will make it even more compelling is if the DLC uses your choice from the finale to spin its story further.
Granted, we might end up with "GTA IV Stories" or some crap that's best left in the studio, but if we end up with a Vice City or San Andreas analogue, the DLC will be well worth it.
I, personally, would like to see Niko go to Vice City and go up against Tommy Vercetti. Basically, I want to see Niko as an anti-hero who is trying to dismantle the organized crime bosses who have touched his life, even in the smallest of ways.
The GTA4 DLC is on par with almost any retail title that they can deliver, and I would be not at all surprised to see it show up on store shelves like Shivering Isles did.
You heard it here first, I expect it to be 2400 points a shot online and $29.99 in stores, launching the same day.
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I use Shivering Isles as an example because it's also a Take2 title...it launched on 360 and PC as DLC on March 27. Hit 360 on disc in October, and didn't make PS3 until November.
And that's with no exclusivity deal.
1. If the PS3 get's any DLC it will not be in the form of episodic content and nothing on the level of the 360. MS didn't give them 50mil for something that will just in turn be released on the PS3.
2. The PS3 does not have a larger marketshare now. It is about 4-6million behind the 360.
I am personally disappointed by this announcement. By all means Take2 and MS overpromise and underdeliver yet again. If this comes out anywhere near Nov-Dec there is no way I will drop the coin on it when there are so many other titles coming out.
Where are you getting your info?
Where did you get the info that any PS3 content will be guaranteed to be inferior to 360 content? Did I miss a press release?
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Yeah, that'd be the kind of shit we really shouldn't put up with.
The problem here is, people wont be interested in buying this DLC if some other big hit game has already come out. GTA4 will be long forgotten. People will pull the trigger to buy DLC when they're into the game, which is RIGHT NOW. Not a year from now. Microsoft got burned bad on this deal.
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It may be MS didn't get the only exclusive content. If they paid $50M and didn't get a guarantee that this wouldn't be the case, then they deserve what they got.
But, and you can leap to your feet and shout "Fanboy!" if you want, it's not like there isn't HOURS/DAYS of gameplay in the non-DLC version. To be honest, I like GTA and I'm enjoying playing it but there are so many other great games to play that increasing its length with DLC is lost on me.
Seriously, let's say (in a hypothetical mirror-world™) the same DLC was "somehow" released on the PS3, say, 12 months from now and it's free to download (I know this is impossible, I understand what $50M buys you these days). I would honestly say, hand on heart, the chances of me downloading it is incredibly slim. Or, I'd download it to be a completist but never play it.
This content is for GTA fanboys. People who played GTAIII for months non-stop, got the 100 packages, got the Apache, got EVERYTHING and STILL played it non-stop because they love the genre. If you're that guy for the love of God get this game on the 360 because when the DLC hits - you're going to lose your mind with new things to do.
For me, I'm not that guy so, while parity across the consoles would be great, that's not how econmics works and, in this instance, it doesn't bother me in the least that there is exclusive DLC for a console I don't own.
Just my 2c.
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"who can spot the ps3 fanboy? seriously, wake up,the PS3 isn't getting nearly the amount of DLC that the 360 is and anything that is released on PS3 is going to be released on the 360."
*facepalm* Did I miss a meeting where being a 360 fanboy was given legs to rise above being a PS3 fanboy?
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I would rather have companies take months to put out top notch DLC than finish the game and carve off a bit of that for DLC release. Shit like paying 300 MS points for a plane in Ace Combat is annoying. Waiting for months for an expansion pack isn't.
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