Report: GTAIV 'poised' to make $400M in one week

Sources "close to" Take-Two Interactive tell Variety that presell figures indicate the darkly comic PS3/360 crime spree will have the biggest debut of all time.

There's no question that Grand Theft Auto IV will have a massive debut. How massive, exactly? Today, Variety predicted that the Rockstar Games title could be the biggest entertainment-property launch of all time when it goes on sale worldwide on April 29 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The Hollywood trade claims that "sources close to publisher Take-Two Interactive," which owns Rockstar Games, have been tracking how many units of GTAIV they have presold to retailers. According to said sources, the publisher believes that 6 million units of the Rockstar North-developed game will sell during its first week on the market, generating over $400 million in revenue.

If that figure holds out, GTAIV will come close to exceeding the $404 million that Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End grossed internationally during its first six days in theaters. It will soundly best the current record holder for a game premiere, Halo 3, which earned $300 million by selling 5 million copies in its first week on the worldwide market last year.

Some analysts have predicted that GTAIV will do even bigger business when it arrives. Last October, Janco Partners' Mike Hickey said that Rockstar's latest could "conceivably" ship 9.5 million units in one week--5.8 million in the US alone. The most popular GTA game to date is 2004's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, which has sold nearly 22 million units worldwide to date on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and PC.

Variety correctly notes that Take-Two will need GTAIV to be a hit of outsized proportions to stave off Electronic Arts' takeover bid, which became hostile on March 13. On Thursday afternoon, Take-Two stockholders will meet to discuss EA's $2 billion, $26-per-share offer, which is a 64 percent markup over the publisher's previous stock price. Late last month, Take-Two management led by chairman Strauss Zelnick asked shareholders to decline EA's offer, which some analysts believe could lead to a GTAIV delay if it is successful.

578 Comments

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Apr 21, 2008 11:12 am PT

    osmifura, like what exactly?

  • osmifura

    Posted Apr 21, 2008 10:26 am PT

    this is nothing compare whats comming in the future!

  • diseasedpanda

    Posted Apr 20, 2008 7:36 pm PT

    I have already pre ordered the special edition. lol. I guess I contributed to that 400mil

  • Malec3

    Posted Apr 20, 2008 11:40 am PT

    I've been playing GTA for 10 years now. (Yes, its been a decade since the first GTA.) I hated the idea of the jump to 3D with GTA III until I actual sat my a$$ down to play it. This series has come so far, I feeling misty eyed typing about it. You've come a long way, Rockstar Games.

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Apr 20, 2008 8:57 am PT

    djwood84, YEP!... and by doing this we show the arrogant devs who really controls the gaming market.... US GAMERS!!!

  • djwood84

    Posted Apr 19, 2008 9:13 pm PT

    I think the message is clear. Buy this game. Make sure everyone you know buys this guy. Buy your grandma a copy of this game. EA can go screw themselves, Take-Two needs to remain independent. Imagine how badly they could screw up the series... they are EA, they screw up everything. BUY THIS GAME and save a company.

    Variety correctly notes that Take-Two will need GTAIV to be a hit of outsized proportions to stave off Electronic Arts' takeover bid, which became hostile on March 13

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Apr 19, 2008 2:36 pm PT

    For me Halo is just another 'runnie, jumpie, shootie affair' although its good at what it does, for me it just does'nt stand out as there are so many games like it which are equally as good. Whereas GTA4 stands out totaly as there is simply nothing like it that is anywhere near as good! I mean what other game gives you a complete city to roam and the possibility to do what ever you like? Oh yeah.. and you can do all this with upto 15 mates! First one to the chopper wins! : ) Cant Wait.. Yeah Baby!!!

  • megamega777

    Posted Apr 19, 2008 11:10 am PT

    All the characters in GTAIV just shot Master chief with an automatic shotgun(could be shot anywhere, I perfer to shoot his balls off)

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Apr 19, 2008 8:58 am PT

    fortysix_too Well this may sell more, but MGS4 will still be MUCH MUCH better. This game will just hold me over until MGS4 comes out.
    .
    Get Real!!!!

  • GermanFizzle08

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 9:41 pm PT

    GTA IV will be amazing!! And it will not be like Halo 3 and be a big dissapointment. GTA is the best game series ever and will ALWAYS be better than Halo!! I also am proud to be a GTA IV preorder holder.

  • ctg867

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 8:10 pm PT

    Glad to know I'll be $60 of that $400,000,000. Cannot wait for this game.

  • nobdow

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 5:57 pm PT

    No!! Halo reigns supreme!

  • akfonse

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 2:25 pm PT

    is it only me who goes through each day checking gamespot website continuously and gagging for this game to slide into my xbox drive ha..its madness to be this hyped over a game .. as the preorders are short now ,luckily i got mine in on the 7th..dont ya think the special edition is a little pricey and a ripp off? but ok if you really want this game your gonna pay up whatever i guess and resident evil 5 is on this site but its out 2009 wtf why do they hype up the games when there that far away from being released ok im chilled lol..enjoy this game when ya get it as i surely will!!

  • MetalMan300

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 10:02 am PT

    Lol GTA4 original? Seriously, you've got to be joking. I know that halo 3 isn't too original, but it wasn't overhyped and thats why its one of the best games to play online.

  • vipa3456

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 8:22 am PT

    halo 3 is a typical first person shooter and is OVERHYPED to the max but this game is authentic and original and will definitely outsell halo 3.

  • speed45823

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 4:54 am PT

    hey check out the new and improved profile of john retardello on the following website.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_Arts#EA_under_Probst.2FRiccitiello

  • akfonse

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 4:28 am PT

    i know this games gonna kick it wide open and all i wanna do is smoke a joint get in a car drive around do a lil sight seeing .pullover get out take out my gun and do me a lil killing amen bring it on..

  • duffmansg1

    Posted Apr 18, 2008 4:12 am PT

    what does this have to do with MGS4??? damn fanboys

  • fortysix_too

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 11:38 pm PT

    Well this may sell more, but MGS4 will still be MUCH MUCH better. This game will just hold me over until MGS4 comes out.

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 2:08 pm PT

    Im mainly looking forward to tear-ar5ing round the city with my friends doin drive-bys and getting to that damn chopper : ) cant wait, this will be massive online as well as off.

  • MetalMan300

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 1:56 pm PT

    @darkride66

    You do realize that there will probably be just as many annoying 12 year olds on GTA4 as there are on halo 3? Stores don't moniter this sort of thing too closely, so I know that liva and ps3 online will probably be overrun with annoying little kids on GTA4 as well as on halo 3. I even have a 9 year old friend on xbox live that is constantly playing saints row, which is a game he shouldn't be playing for years. Ive also seen a 5 year old kid walk into a store and buy black, which is also a game rated well above the age limit for him. My point is that you cant judge a game on the people that play it. That being said, I know that halo 3 has some issues, but I found it a much more entertaining game than gta4 because of its online services like file share, bungie favorites, etc. I just believe that this game is probably being a little overhyped, although I agree that it will easily meet the sales prediction because it is very popular. Oh, and CoD4 is an awesome game.

  • Fanible

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 1:47 pm PT

    It wouldn't take much, Fondness.

  • Fondness

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 11:33 am PT

    Fanible, you don't know that.

  • Afro_Samurai

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 11:20 am PT

    400 mil in a week ?!?! Damn !!! As everyone can see, ther's no recession problems within the gaming industry...lol

  • zeferU

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 10:55 am PT

    First off ,, AdMordem you are very misdirected and funny to boot. After reading you post all I heard is Fanboy fanboy fanboy and well you get the picture! lololol. You make it sound like only M$ did this and ONLY M$ did that when in this place I live called reality (LAMO) both companies were losing money on hardware sales and still continue to........I currently own a 360//PS3//&Wii but the 360 is out for repairs AGAIN I swear I never play it anymore because I am just wasting my money on XboxLIVE as I have to wait 3-4 weeks for repairs. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360_technical_problems read second paragraph 33%RRoD failure and 60% general hardware failure out of 1040 Xboxs tested LOLOLOL M$ is all about the money.

  • mfouad

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 10:16 am PT

    GTA 4 will be the best game of 2008

  • condemned100

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 9:32 am PT

    PS3 and the Xbox 360 are the Systems to have and Wii? Doesn't even compare graphically to PS3 and Xbox 360 it's Isolated from those two systems the Wii is completely different from them. I don't have a Wii just a Xbox 360 but it's still in the Box and I plan on getting a PS3 later on. Anyone who has a Wii knows it's only for a Family a gathering not for people who want to play alone.

  • ps3thabest

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 9:14 am PT

    come on its gta 4 of course it will outsell halo 3 hope ea doesnt delay it or there will be problems and not good 1s

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 8:57 am PT

    If T2 can hold off for a few more weeks on the EA offer, they will get to gauge how their future will be laid out.

    As far as the number of sales: I will definitely be one of those people adding to the first week sales numbers. No pre-order, but I'm not worried.

    Halo 3 may have sold like that, but its quality didn't hold up to expectations for many that bought it. My expectations for GTA are slightly above what GTA:SA had to offer. I am really excited to get some online time with the GTA game. No matter whether this game makes these number breaking records or not, this game will still sell millions. There is no doubt in anybody's mind that this game is going to fly off store shelves.

    In conclusion: Screw Gamestop and their upselling pre-orders! You can keep your game guides too. I'll get the game somewhere else!

  • rockutd

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 8:46 am PT

    100?I was expecting more than that for a game of such calibre...

  • BringTheBlood

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 8:15 am PT

    i work for gamestop and we have well over 100 pre orders for GTA, its crazy, every day we get people coming in asking to pre order, we get about 10 a day if not more. so yeah this by far will out sell halo, even though you cant compare a multiplatform to a single console game, but either way, im taking the 29th off when it comes out lol.

  • Fanible

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 8:09 am PT

    I couldn't care less if GTAIV outsells Halo 3 or not, on the 360. It will still be an infinitely better game.

  • Rhycar

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 8:06 am PT

    Myzz617, it's not "KAYNE", it's KANYE, dumbass. Don't you love when people correct spelling mistakes and still can't spell the word properly?

    At any rate, if the previews are any indicator, this game won't score less than a 9.5 from Gamespot. Who knows, maybe we'll finally get another 10 out of these misers?

  • da_illest101

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 7:38 am PT

    i'm happy that less ppl have a ps3 where i live, cause it's gonna be easy to buy myself a copy of gta4 , lol while all those xbox360 guys are gonna be fighting for copies i'll walk right in a store and get my copy and then leave

  • Myzz617

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 7:18 am PT

    @ nate1222 ur ignorant it is KAYNE west! So yes perhaps you should learn how to spell.

    @EnderSR388 I agree with your theory of having an open Wallet lolz even though if you have a kid on the way it might start to close but ne how I have the same ideaology as you!

  • AdMordem

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 7:10 am PT

    LMAO

    i cant beleive some people are actually comparing the multiplatform sales of GTA to the singular console sales of Halo3 (ps it will be interesting to see what the totals are a couple years from now when - as im sure will happen - Halo3 hits vista up for some money)

    I think GTA will not sell as many copies first week as Halo on the 360, but its obvious that GTA blow it out of the water with multiplatform sales.

    I also think at the moment that the only real solid compititor against GTA4 for GOTY is Fallout 3, look at Morrowind and Oblivion for examples of what Bethesda is capable of. As an addon - Microsoft is doing more for the gaming industry and its customers than Sony and that is fact. Look at what MS are doing with Indie games, or (as an Australian) Sonys retraction of their hardware supported backwards compatibility, or Price Point - MS have been selling their consoles at a loss per unit since the original - just to get it in their customers homes where Sony prove that money is their PRIMARY INTEREST. And if your still not convinced, Sony is the company that STOLE dual shock, then when they had to pay the owner of the property out told you - 'Meh, you dont need rumble to game!'... obviously noone who works for Sony's gaming division ever actually played a car racing game.. or understand that rumble can also be used as feedback for damage in many gaming types. Like seriously, only next week will Australian gamers actually get to play GTPrologue with rumble.... after buying yet another controller, and also after finally listening to their customers who want rumble - even over 6-axis.

    Im not saying making money isnt MS's primary interest - in fact for most of their executives (of any company) that is their PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITY to shareholders. They will get fired and can even get sued for not following this. Its more the difference between the two companies approach that bothers me. Heh - if PS3s started overheating could you ever, and i mean that, EVER imagine Sony apologising and reacting quickly to help their customers... they have made it abundently clear with past actions that their customers happiness is not on the forefront of their concerns - but instead making the money back off their enormous R&D costs of the PS3 ASAP.

    added thought - Gears 2 may, while not outsell GTA, be a late runner in the GOTY race, or at least keep things interesting.

    added added thought - to that idiot who said rockband and guitar hero are bad games and had a go that they dont include real instruments. You must see that your a minority (look at the sales). Why would guitar/drum manufacturers 'sponsor' these tittles if they hadnt figured that it would increase interest in real instruments. And lastly - the biggest flaw in your 'argument' - does that mean Counterstrike, Call of Duty, Halo, Gears, Tom Clancy games etc are also stupid because you dont shoot a REAL gun? Or for that matter Madden then is stupid because you dont tackle REAL people....

    anyways - Rant Over - Good Gaming ALL!

  • brosim1104

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 6:23 am PT

    Most of you comparing HALO 3 sales to GTAIV predicted sales... I have to say that this is unfair.... The right thing to do is to compare GTAIV 360 sales to HALO sales... And if HALO ''wins'' this one then Microsoft should be really proud, or if GTAIV ''wins'' Rockstar is the one who should be proud (and really really rich)!

    Still... it's pretty amazing how big the industry has grown since last gen.. Probably this gen is more balanced and so, all the studios are trying to make as many games as they can to get a piece from all gamer's categories... Just like the movie industry where all the big studios keep bombarding the market with lots of movies for each cine-fan category... $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

  • Tebbit

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 5:20 am PT

    "64% markup... Nintendo 64... OH SWEET GOD
    NINTENDO IS BUYING TAKE-TWO"

    - An Analyst

    To be fair, in this instance they are probably right...

  • rpgisforme

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 3:40 am PT

    I really don't care much for the GTA games, but I still bought them all and tried them. I've already pre ordered my copy of GTA4. I'm hoping I'm gonna enjoy it one of these days. My hopes are high for this one, they seemed to have changed it so much that maybe this will be the one that really grabs me and makes me want to finish it.

  • shaibie

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 1:06 am PT

    OMG 404million thats crazy....... Well im not suprised apprantely an xbox review website rated GTA at 10/10........ I do look forward to the game.... its going to be a lot harder than the normal running and kill.

  • pipopper

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 1:01 am PT

    anything less than the "biggest of all time" should be a letdown for this game.

  • cooldude03

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 1:00 am PT

    Shipping and selling are not the same thing. But I'm doing my part with the purchase of GTA4 Collector's edition for the Xbox360. It doesn't matter if you saw Pirates of the Caribbean at Loews, Showplace, or another movie theatre the numbers count as one. Your still going to get the same experience. It's not about the 360 or the PS3 it's about sales as a whole. Just sometimes the popcorns a little fresher.

  • tr00pa_26

    Posted Apr 17, 2008 12:35 am PT

    GTA usually surpass almost every predictions.

  • NinjaMunkey01

    Posted Apr 16, 2008 11:54 pm PT

    lol darkride66 that was a good post. why is everyone giving it a thumbs down?

    I think that this game will sell big, its on both consoles and everyone whether they are a casual gamer or not casual will want this. I am getting it, though probably not straight away (sorry Take-Two I have failed you).

  • thenephariouson

    Posted Apr 16, 2008 11:22 pm PT

    feel the power of the hype machine!! : )

  • cheatham032002

    Posted Apr 16, 2008 10:23 pm PT

    I believe it

  • vass86

    Posted Apr 16, 2008 10:09 pm PT

    i really hope EA don't succeed in their takeover. delaying a finished game for 8 months would make EA even more hated than they already are

  • yatatabien

    Posted Apr 16, 2008 9:12 pm PT

    GTA IV delayed again??

    Noo!!

    EA would be responsible for massive heart attacks and collapses

  • legice

    Posted Apr 16, 2008 8:59 pm PT

    I think they will break the record in sales.400 milion dolars.....
    a lot of toilet paper.

  • BarNone101

    Posted Apr 16, 2008 8:59 pm PT

    Am I the only one worried that this game might be delayed again but this time for a politically non legit reason? pay attention we might not even be playing this anytime soon...if this release gets delayed there's no telling what ill do..this could get bad

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