Who knew that shooting prostitutes in the face could bring in such big money? To the shock of nobody in the industry, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO), the force behind Rockstar Games and consequently Grand Theft Auto V was awarded the title of best-selling video game for 2013.
GTA 5 sales
After a week, GTA 5 had put its stamp on the Guinness Book of World Records not once but seven times. This included being the fastest entertainment property to reach $1 billion in sales.
Yesterday, Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) reported its third quarter earnings yesterday announcing that it had sold 32.5 million units of GTA 5 in 2013. The firm didn’t specify whether it had shipped more units of the game for Xbox or Playstation. Given the success of GTA 5 the company increased its third quarter revenues to $767 million up from the year-over-year quarter in 2012 when the company had $405 million in sales.
GTA 5 for new platforms
The sales of GTA 5 shouldn’t slow down in 2014 as it has yet to release the game for Xbox One or Playstation 4. If rumors are to be believed that should happen sometime in June.
Additionally, while a smaller market, PC gamers are also chomping at the bit for their version of GTA 5. Gameholds.com, a UK retailer, is presently allowing pre-orders of this version and promising to beginning shipping the title by the end of March.
Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) CEO Strauss Zelnick said, “Take-Two’s business continued to outperform expectations significantly during the fiscal third quarter.”
And it’s not just GTA 5 that is driving sales.
“Our results were driven by robust holiday demand for Grand Theft Auto V, the franchise record-breaking launch of NBA 2K14, the successful release of WWE 2K14, and strong growth in digitally delivered revenues led by Grand Theft Auto Online.
“Take-Two was the top video game publisher of 2013, according to the NPD Group, underscoring our positive momentum over the past year.”
