Same with RDR, would it sell as much as either console version? Maybe not but if they had ported it while it was still hot it would have definitely been profitable for them and considering they have an entire studio dedicated to porting stuff i don't understand why they never did.
Eurogamer: GTA V coming to PC early 2014
- Thread starter shinobi602
- Start date
Same with RDR, would it sell as much as either console version? Maybe not but if they had ported it while it was still hot it would have definitely been profitable for them and considering they have an entire studio dedicated to porting stuff i don't understand why they never did.
It's either because they are reluctant to risk piracy on their biggest IP's and so they wait until console version sales have made a return on their investments completely... or they have a hard time optimizing for PC, so they take the extra time necessary.
Wild guesses, though...
sigh
Garrett Hawke
Member
Piracy probably, plus it's easier to optimise for set hardware (consoles) than it is for PC. Considering their last effort (GTA IV) wasn't optimised that well, I would say that's a factor.
CyberPunked
Member
Their last effort was Max Payne 3, which is a beautiful port.
Captain Chaos
Member
I'd hazard a guess and say Sony and MS dont want a PC version appearing.
FantasticMrFoxdie
Mumber
Oh wow this necrobump
E3 season sure brings out the crazy
E3 season sure brings out the crazy
bobawesome
Member
Well, he got what he deserved, at least.
RDR was in some form of development hell and held together with scotch tape on a technical level wasn't it?
polyh3dron
Banned
Rockstar never announces anything at E3 anymore.
You forgot the most plausible reason: Microsoft and/or Sony throwing money.
I received this message from someone on gtaforums.com a while ago.
Take it for what it is.
Considering the PC version has been in the works since 2012, I firmly believe in the statement that MS paid so all versions would be released simultaneously.
Microsoft has a weird "addiction" regarding release dates: they want to be the first platform to receive something (hence the timed exclusive DLCs for games like COD, and the very un-developer-friendly parity clause for indie games) or, in this case,
if they can't fulfill this, at least they try to release simultaneously by throwing money.
Imp the Dimp
Member
what the hell is this bump
That's what the rumors said, but considering they released a decent version of Max Payne 3 that runs on the same engine i would say they could have salvaged it (if the rumors were true anyway).
That was what someone said who worked on the game. He said they were lucky to even get it to a playable state on consoles. Plus most of the development people quit after the game was released and blew the whistle on how they were treated at crunch time. I think R* just wanted to move on from the whole project.
InfYn
Member
That's apparently true, yes. It holds together fine on PS360 but would be a nightmare to port to PC due to poor code.
Leave their newswire open in a separate tab, refresh and believe.
GeorgioCostanzaX
Member
Half of the crap on Yahoo is actually syndicated by content networks... the games stuff isn't even in house and comes from sites you've never heard of like this video and BGR news...
bigace33
Member
Piracy? Man I bet GTA IV has sold 4 million+ on PC alone. They had to have made a killing on it. There is no rational reason for them not to put it on PC at this point. Even with poor optimization GTA IV looks and plays amazing on the right rig.
I think the piracy plays a big part. Also I think as rough as the online launch, and as they still have come thru on their dlc promises, thats really set them back. They probably know that alot of the gat v diehards would probably be passed if they had been spending their time on that instead. There are companies that cares about their install base more than new customers
Hip Hop
Member
I was quite sure this would see the light of day on PC, but now I'm losing hope. It makes perfect sense to release it, but lets be honest. Rockstar doesn't make sense sometimes.
Garrett Hawke
Member
Even if it has sold 4mil+ on PC alone, it has probably been pirated three or four times that number.
And yes, it looks and plays great out of the box on RECENT rigs. But with mid-tier rigs when it launched it ran like crap.
So what? 4mil is enough to turn into profit, and the piracy numbers don't exactly represent lost sales, most people would rather pirate than ever buy it.
Yoda
Member
12-16 million people did not pirate GTA:IV.
SapientWolf
Trucker Sexologist
They could turn the online portion into a F2P game and basically print money.
They released the 360 and PS3 version, no new consoles were out. They either release the a PC version of superior quality then, which would have eaten into those console sales. Depending on the quality of the PC version, releasing new console versions would also have reduced sales if the PC version was good enough and players with both PC and new consoles were happy with their PC copy. All in all a shit business decision.
If they simply delayed a PC version and put it out at the same time as new console versions, they maximise their profit from those that double dip / couldn't wait / didn't think they would do it / have renewed interest because of shiny graphics etc . All in all "money money money money........ MONEY!"
It will happen
Buckethead
Banned
Rockstar has typically shied away from E3, I wouldn't be surprised if they wait a week or two and take some of the post-E3 pub.
Pakoe
Member
Piracy =/= lost sales.
BigTnaples
Todd Howard's Secret GAF Account
Garrett Hawke
Member
4mil people probably did not buy it. I couldn't find sales figures but I doubt that they were that high.
Garrett Hawke
Member
I know, but there's little incentive to port something to PC if not that many people are going to buy it but many are going to pirate it.
Yeah, that was an exaggeration. But considering 1.7million people pirated Spore, I'm sure it's at least a few million. And there's no guarantee they'd sell 4mil legally, if GTA IV is anything to go by.
It's already heavily skewed towards micro transactions so it would probably work.
Crimsonclaw111
Member
Spore had insane DRM though, it's not all that surprising it was pirated that much. GTA IV also suffers from GFWL, which I'm sure lead to a lot of piracy.
Rockstar just needs to get rid of Social Club, otherwise Max Payne 3 was fantastic. Hope to see more of the same going forward.
Too many probablys
Since every number seems to be pulled from somebodies ass let's talk about them as hypotheticals. The fact you seem to think 4 million in sales is low enough to discredit it due to pirating in your first post is blowing my mind. That's not a small amount of copies shifted, in fact that's around as much as Max Payne 3 sold across multiple platforms and was one of the largest contributors to net revenue in fiscal year 2013 for Rockstar. I'm yet to see a scenario where they actually lose out, it's all about whether they win big or win little.
Anyone who uses "M$" can't be taken seriously.You forgot the most plausible reason: Microsoft and/or Sony throwing money.
I received this message from someone on gtaforums.com a while ago.
Take it for what it is.
Considering the PC version has been in the works since 2012, I firmly believe in the statement that MS paid so all versions would be released simultaneously.
Microsoft has a weird "addiction" regarding release dates: they want to be the first platform to receive something (hence the timed exclusive DLCs for games like COD, and the very un-developer-friendly parity clause for indie games) or, in this case,
if they can't fulfill this, at least they try to release simultaneously by throwing money.
drotahorror
Member
I wonder how many copies of GTAIV have been sold on PC? Surely it's 5-10million +. will Rockstar neglect all those potential customers? I know a ton of copies were sold @ $5-$10 as well but the game has been out for almost 6 years. It's been super cheap on consoles as well.
It would be nice if they announced a ps4/xb1/pc port at e3. I rushed through GTAV on release so I could sell it asap and have more money for ps4 goods. Definitely would double dip day 1.
It would be nice if they announced a ps4/xb1/pc port at e3. I rushed through GTAV on release so I could sell it asap and have more money for ps4 goods. Definitely would double dip day 1.
No way....there's a gif from this?
...
On-topic: Yeeeeeah this ship has sailed. There could be a PC announcement at E3 along with heists or something.
Around 3 million on Steam http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/04/steam-gauge-addressing-your-questions-and-concerns/2/
Keep in mind that the game is considered to be one of the worst ports of all time, and inundated with an absurd amount of DRM.
Until you can define the piracy numbers, and sales your argument isn't going to work. Furthermore, you would have to prove that the development cost of bringing the game to the platform is not being met by sales. From what you say, PC gaming and services such as Steam, GMG, GoG etc should be a shambles with abysmal sales due to the rampant piracy. Clearly this is not the case.
What I know of piracy in most mediums, is that it is increased with what people perceive as broken products, over prices products, or inaccessible products. Bear in mind that GTA IV is considered one of the worst PC ports in years, made even more dire by the issue with GFWL. I don't expect it to have sold well. An excellent comparison would be of the PC versions of GTAIV, Allan Wake, and Max Payne 3. The later 2 being excellent ports
Gabe has shown data time and time again to corroborate this as well. If you release a garbage product, or attach it with DRM, then sales are lowered.
Doesn't Social Club rely on GameSpy? Any ideas on what they are doing with it?
Sods law. Keep the receipt!
jim-jam bongs
Member
The same argument can be made for music and films, but profit is a far more important motivating factor than percentage of paying customers versus non paying.
The "piracy" thing for PC is dumb. 360 and ps3 were easily modded for piracy by the time gta v came out. It's only a matter of time before ps4 and xbone get cracked.
I think GTA V will be a timed exclusive released this summer for xbone, and hopefully pc at the same time. I have no reason or proof behind this. But I'll pick it up for $5 when it goes on sale on Steam, it was a fun game, but my least favorite of the 3d gtas.
I think GTA V will be a timed exclusive released this summer for xbone, and hopefully pc at the same time. I have no reason or proof behind this. But I'll pick it up for $5 when it goes on sale on Steam, it was a fun game, but my least favorite of the 3d gtas.
I don't need GTAV, I don't need Watch_Dogs. Just San Andreas.
Can I ask what you are doing with controls for San Andreas? Xpadder?