Grand Theft Auto V sales reach $1 billion in three days

Grand Theft Auto V generated $1 billion in global retail sales in three days, reaching the milestone faster than any entertainment property in history, Take-Two Interactive announced today. The game minted $800 million on launch-day alone.

By comparison, it took Call of Duty: Black Ops II 15 days to reach $1 billion in global sales, while The Avengers took 19 days to reach the milestone.

"Grand Theft Auto is a cultural phenomenon and Rockstar Games continues to redefine what can be achieved in interactive entertainment," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said in a statement. "We are incredibly proud of the extraordinary critical and commercial response to Grand Theft Auto V.

According to Robert W. Baird analyst Colin Sebastian, GTAV is likely to be released on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in 2014 to "extend the value of the franchise."

GTAV may have broken global entertainment sales records, but it hasn't won everyone over. The United Kingdom's deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said today that games like Grand Theft Auto can have a "corrosive" effect on player behavior.

GTAV's multiplayer component--Grand Theft Auto Online--will be released as a free update on October 1. For more on GTAV, check out GameSpot's review.