Support NeoGAF

[Auto_aim1]

Just made it up.
Again. Why would analysts give away free information? Thats like GTA being released as a free download.

Analysts love attention. Being quoted on a big gaming site is good for their reputation, that's the reason they say disingenuous things.

They do however release more accurate data directly to their clients, though. Who knows, maybe if gaming websites actually pay for it, then we may see some genuine info but mostly they're random predictions.

 

[I H8 Memes]

$137 million isnt that much compared to some games. It wouldn't surprise me if a game as ambitious as GTA V cost at least that much + a massive advertising budget.

 

[Noof]

I doubt it'll outsell cod. It might come close but I don't think it'll outsell it.

 

[Funchameleon]

The "backlash" against GTA4 is hilariously indicative of how fickle enthusiast gamers can be. Best game of the generation, possibly.

 

[Mystic_Wanderer]

The "backlash" against GTA4 is hilariously indicative of how fickle enthusiast gamers can be. Best game of the generation, possibly.

Translation: you have to like what I like!

 

[Derrick01]

The "backlash" against GTA4 is hilariously indicative of how fickle enthusiast gamers can be. Best game of the generation, possibly.

Or it could just be a really bad and overrated game. Which it is.

 

[grimshawish]

The "backlash" against GTA4 is hilariously indicative of how fickle enthusiast gamers can be. Best game of the generation, possibly.

Its a clunky mess.
No fun getting in chases cause you'll probably get touched by a car and float for 2 minutes or try and get in a car and take around 5 minutes to sort yourself out whilst getting shot to death.

Worst still. The story is fucking dull.

 

[famousmortimer]

The "backlash" against GTA4 is hilariously indicative of how fickle enthusiast gamers can be. Best game of the generation, possibly.

You got a source on it being the best game of the generation?


Oh wait, that's right, it's opinion. Not everyone shares yours. Your post is hilariously indicative of someone who thinks that their opinion is fact.

 

[GillianSeed79]

$137 million? Holy fuck. All I want is RDR2. I might buy a copy just so that might be a possibility. I did not like GTAIV. They don't have the open world genre to themselves anymore. $137 million? Really? I'm sure it's going to be an okay game, but that's like a TOR'tanic budget. Take 2, you better not fuck this up.

 

[alphaNoid]

The "backlash" against GTA4 is hilariously indicative of how fickle enthusiast gamers can be. Best game of the generation, possibly.

Red Dead was twice the game GTAIV was.

 

[saunderez]

Its a clunky mess.
No fun getting in chases cause you'll probably get touched by a car and float for 2 minutes or try and get in a car and take around 5 minutes to sort yourself out whilst getting shot to death.

We must have played different GTA IVs because this isn't indicative of my experience at all.

 

[Why would you do that?]

Or it could just be a really bad and overrated game. Which it is.

There is absolutely no way GTA IV could be called a bad game. Maybe bad and disappointing compared to other GTA games, but on the whole, it is not at all a bad game.

Though I agree with overrated, despite enjoying the game.

 

[cuyahoga]

really bad and overrated

Really bad? I dunno, I'd say it is mostly mediocre and turgid. Bad just seems like hyperbole.

 

[Fjordson]

I think GTA V is going to do really well and end up selling about 20 million over the course of 2-3 years, but I feel like CoD still has just enough steam to stay on top.

How is it bad? Thats not my comparison. I'm comparing its possible lack of focus. Thats what made RE6 crap, not just 3 characters. How hard do you think it is to communicate when you have a 600+ person team, and there divided all around the world. R* has teams in europe somewhere(sorry I dont know where it is), NY, and San Diego all working on this game at the same time.

Now admittingly R* has a lot more practice doing this then Capcom did. 3 characters does make it harder to make a more focused game as well.

That is always a worry with the gigantic projects, but I think keeping the core creative team together for so long has helped R* a lot. The Houser brothers, executive producer Leslie Benzies, art director Aaron Garbut, and a few others have been working on the series since GTA III 12 years ago. So no matter how big the series gets, there's still a strong creative vision (ideally) behind each game.

 

[Yagharek]

Or it could just be a really bad and overrated game. Which it is.

Boring and tedious is how I found it.

 

[Chromie]

The "backlash" against GTA4 is hilariously indicative of how fickle enthusiast gamers can be. Best game of the generation, possibly.

I could same say the same for Witcher 2 but I won't since I'm not an ass.

 

[QaaQer]

The "backlash" against GTA4 is hilariously indicative of how fickle enthusiast gamers can be. Best game of the generation, possibly.

Pretty much. Certainly the best open world environment created last gen [Edit: along with skyrim]. And the fact that it was on PC meant some really nice improvements could be made.

As far as the writing goes, compared to other videogames it was friggin Shakespeare. Oh and dat soundtrack + iggy pop + Roy Ayers & Roy Haynes (still blows my mind they paid to have them in a videogame) + Karl Lagerfeld + authentic Dancehall + etc etc.

But whatever, there are people who think COD multiplayer is garbage & WoW is terrible and SR3 is amazing, so whatever.

I'm just relieved there hasn't been any giant dildos in any of the trailers.

 

[diamount]

The "backlash" against GTA4 is hilariously indicative of how fickle enthusiast gamers can be. Best game of the generation, possibly.

Opinions. Everyone has one.

 

[Sethos]

Oh look, another GTA IV bashing thread.

 

[TacticalFox88]

So besides Devloper's salaries and Marketing what is the rest of that money being spent ON, exactly?

 

[Camp Lo]

Oh look, another GTA IV bashing thread.

Yeah, what the fuck is that all about. Haters gon hate I guess.

 

[Buckethead]

I have a ton of gripes about GTA IV but that is one damn fine looking game.

The first GTA V trailer was quite impressive as well but the visuals have seemed to go downhill ever since much like what happened with IV.

Still I'm sure it will look good enough even if they strip out a ton of shit.

 

[Yagharek]

So besides Devloper's salaries and Marketing what is the rest of that money being spent ON, exactly?

Licensed songs and legal advice perhaps.

 

[rallaren]

Port this over to durango and orbis ffs!

I'm sure the WiiU could use some GTA too.

 

[Oblivion]

Likely to outsell CoD? The hell?

I know GTA was a powerhouse title in the PS2 days, but didn't GTA4 kinda lag significantly behind multiple other titles on the sales front this gen?

 

[Buckethead]

Likely to outsell CoD? The hell?

I know GTA was a powerhouse title in the PS2 days, but didn't GTA4 kinda lag significantly behind multiple other titles on the sales front this gen?

Wat?

GTA IV 25 mil
GTA SA 27.5 mil

 

[1st Course]

NPD: Black Ops 2 sold 7.5 million in US during November (1.5 week) + 1b revenue WW (15 days)


-------------

GTA IV Sells 1.85m In April NPD (3 days)


GTAIV shatters records with $500M in week-one sales

Will not happen this year but GTA will probably outsold it in LTD numbers years latter.

 

[Fjordson]

Likely to outsell CoD? The hell?

I know GTA was a powerhouse title in the PS2 days, but didn't GTA4 kinda lag significantly behind multiple other titles on the sales front this gen?

Nah. It's almost caught up to SA in just four years time.

 

[szaromir]

Nah. It's almost caught up to SA in just four years time.

Take 2 gives numbers for the GTA4 series, ie. GTA4 + episodes. Which means the base game is far behind.

I still remember an interview where Sam or Dan Houser arrogantly said that they're going to show the world that you don't need to launch in Fall to have the best sales, that GTA4 would be the best selling games of 2008. Coincidentally two games released around the same period, Wii Fit and Mario Kart Wii, outsold GTA4 by a big margin.

There is absolutely no way GTA IV could be called a bad game.

Yes, bad does not make it justice, absolutely terrible is more like it.

 

[DragonSworne]

If Take Two makes 20 dollar for each game sold, they need to sell 7 million copies just to break even...

 

[Shadow of the BEAST]

If Take Two makes 20 dollar for each game sold, they need to sell 7 million copies just to break even...

and then you add a marketing budget on top of that. wowse

 

[Fjordson]

Take 2 gives numbers for the GTA4 series, ie. GTA4 + episodes. Which means the base game is far behind.

Not really. It's been hinted by Take-Two and R* numerous times before that the episodic sales weren't actually all that good. Vast majority of that number is vanilla GTA IV.

 

[1st Course]

Black Ops in 9 months (highest selling COD):

http://www.joystiq.com/2011/09/01/black-ops-sold-over-23-million-units-and-over-18-million-map-pac/

 

[szaromir]

Not really. It's been hinted by Take-Two and R* numerous times before that the episodic sales weren't actually all that good. Vast majority of that number is vanilla GTA IV.

They still provide sales of all SKUs combined only, so it's anyone's guess. 14M out of 20M is still a vast majority.

 

[Fjordson]

14M out of 20M is still a vast majority.

Technically true, but I'd be shocked if it's that low. If the combined total is over 25 million, that would mean the DLC episodes did 9 million in sales.

Surely they take up a chunk of the overall number, but no way it's that large.

edit: just to be clear, I don't see GTA overtaking CoD this year regardless of IV's sucess. GTA does well in the long run, but CoD flies off the shelf within the first few months every year it comes out.

 

[Nothing1016]

Is development budget only? Or does it include marketing as well?

 

[liquidtmd]

It was the dialogue of GTA4 that was offputting - every second word was an expletive and i noticed it more in it than i probably should. Im 30 and have no issue with bad language, it just screamed of the writers trying to be 'gritty' and 'edgey' but it just came off as trying to appeal to 10 year old boys.

I know the writers are far better than that, as some of Rockstars humour and satire is up there with the best. It didnt help that the protagonist in 4 was a miserble wretch with no depth. Having no depth is perfectly fine but the way the story progressed they were desperately throwing reasons why you should care - i just didnt.

For the record - loved GTA3, VC, SA, RDR and kinda liked Max Payne 3. Have high hopes for V

 

[GaimeGuy]

Costs will not magically double. Costs will only go up if publishers have more money to spend. Can't go up otherwise. Nobody will invest more into making games than they think they can reasonably make back.

Explains why so many companies have stopped investing in new niche IPs, and why they've been bought out, merged, gone bankrupt, or been consolidated.

Face it: There's an arms race going on, and companies feel they have to keep up with it, regardless of whether or not they can afford it, regardless of whether or not it limits their flexibility as a company.

 

[Messofanego]

I just hope it is A LOT better than 4.

That's guaranteed to happen.

And people call you cynical, look at this optimism!

 

[szaromir]

edit: just to be clear, I don't see GTA overtaking CoD this year regardless of IV's sucess. GTA does well in the long run, but CoD flies off the shelf within the first few months every year it comes out.

Which means Activision has a much better business with COD than Take 2 with GTA. Shorter dev cycle (=> cheaper) and higher percentage of sales at full price, with unit sales eventually being equal... Except Activision does it every year, not every 5 years.

 

[Shtof]

They can afford that after Microsoft moneyhatted the next gen version.

Lol I don't think the execs in Redmond would be too happy about that, remember, the Xbox division is still in the red and they're losing the PC market on daily basis, without being able to fight Apple and Google in the mobile space. They just can't afford to shell out money to everyone these days.

 

[Fjordson]

Which means Activision has a much better business with COD than Take 2 with GTA. Shorter dev cycle (=> cheaper) and higher percentage of sales at full price, with unit sales eventually being equal... Except Activision does it every year, not every 5 years.

No argument here. CoD is better business than almost anything else really at the moment. Even if I do find GTA to be infinitely more interesting.

But I think even R* themselves know that they need to improve the development pipeline for next gen. I could have sworn Dan Houser talked about this in a recent interview. About how they've struggled a bit with the current systems and getting games out in a timely fashion this gen.

 

[szaromir]

Lol I don't think the execs in Redmond would be too happy about that, remember, the Xbox division is still in the red

Nope, it's in the black. They made $600M last quarter.

 

[jimi_dini]

But it's Grand Theft Auto. Unprecedented freedom, huge fanbase going back 10+ years, appeals to children and adults alike, will sell well on PC's, open-ended, fresh, and actually likely to be a genuinely good game.

There are quite a few people that couldn't stand GTA IV. I doubt those will buy GTA V.

Take me for example - bought the extra disc for IV, because everyone hyped up the content and that it would be that much better. Played TLATD. Noticed that it was still shit and the story + gameplay + controls are shit as well. And it just wasn't fun for me. I mean at all. And I didn't even touch the 2nd expansion for 3 years now. And everytime I think about trying it, I say to myself: I got tricked once, it's just the same crap like before - don't do it.

And that's someone, who played every GTA game on PS2 to 100%. GTA:SA even twice to 100%.

 

[JohnnySasaki86]

Nah. It's almost caught up to SA in just four years time.

yea but think about what your saying. The PS2 version of SA sold equally compared to GTAIV a game which released on two consoles(they both have sold 20+million). 20million for a single SKU is unheard of! Unless your Wii sports which was bundled or Mario Kart or Wii Fit(lets just leave Wii out of this). No one game on 360 or PS3 for this WHOLE gen has sold 20million+ on one console. I'm not sure if the highest selling game on 360 even reached 15m(a COD game)

I won't be picking this up day one. Didn't like GTA IV, so we'll see how this turns out.

I'm also afraid that the game will not be stable. I hope that there will be a next-gen version that doesn't pushes the total limit so I can enjoy the game without hiccups and slowdown.

And as for the sales, I'm pretty sure it will do good. I just don't expect it to turn in profits like CoD, as those are yearly releases and this game was six years in the making. Don't forget that they will probably back this up with an enourmous marketing budget.

No it wont turn profits like COD, cause COD's budget is a fraction of what GTAV is. COD budget is probably pretty small now after all the yearly releases. The dev cycles are like 1.5yrs. I'm sure its still at least 15-20million though.

 

[Daedardus]

I won't be picking this up day one. Didn't like GTA IV, so we'll see how this turns out.

I'm also afraid that the game will not be stable. I hope that there will be a next-gen version that doesn't pushes the total limit so I can enjoy the game without hiccups and slowdown.

And as for the sales, I'm pretty sure it will do good. I just don't expect it to turn in profits like CoD, as those are yearly releases and this game was six years in the making. Don't forget that they will probably back this up with an enourmous marketing budget.

 

[Fjordson]

yea but think about what your saying. The PS2 version of SA sold equally compared to GTAIV a game which released on two consoles(they both have sold 20+million).

Is SA's overall number for just the PS2 version? It did come out on Xbox and PC just nine months after the PS2 launch.

Also have to remember just how dominant the PS2 was. It was truly all alone at the top last gen and was already at 100 million units by 2005. With GTA IV launching in 2008, I don't even know if the userbase for 360 and PS3 combined was that large.

SA was without a doubt a juggernaut and the fastest selling of the series, but I don't see IV as much of a drop off all things considered.

 

[Snowden's Secret]

But it's Grand Theft Auto. Unprecedented freedom, huge fanbase going back 10+ years, appeals to children and adults alike, will sell well on PC's, open-ended, fresh, and actually likely to be a genuinely good game.

Sigh

 

[Captain Smoker]

Well...

Read:
FY3 2011 = Fiscal year enden in March 2011 = April 2010 to March 2011
FY10 = October

sources: annual reports

 

[Derrick01]

Boring and tedious is how I found it.

Same, and that's a bad game to me.