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GTA V is About to Become the Third Game Ever to Sell 100 Million Copies
Grand Theft Auto V prepares to cross another huge milestone as it is set to become one of only three games that have sold 100 million units. Four years and 10 months after Rockstar Games took gamers back to the mean streets of Los Santos, the fifth main installment in the Grand Theft Auto series continues to defy expectations.
Earlier this year, Grand Theft Auto 5 had sold 95 million copies and has carried on being a staple of the gaming charts ever since. With Grand Theft Auto V already becoming the most profitable entertainment product of all-time, Rockstar is in no rush to bring out a new title. This means that the gap between Grand Theft Auto V and VI is the longest since the franchise started back in 1997.
Rockstar's parent company Take-Two announced its financials for 2019 (via Variety) and revealed that Grand Theft Auto V has "outperformed" expectations. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick put emphasis on the fifth main series title in the long-running Grand Theft Auto series as a key part of the company's success:
Quote:
"This performance was driven by better-than-expected recurrent consumer spending on ‘Grand Theft Auto Online’ and ‘NBA2K18,’ as well as robust ongoing demand for ‘Grand Theft Auto V,’ which is now approaching 100 million units sold-in to date. Accordingly, we are increasing our operating outlook for fiscal year 2019.”
Although Grand Theft Auto V hasn't sold as many units as either Minecraft (144 million) or Tetris (170 million), it is still a giant of the video game industry. Considering Grand Theft Auto V was the No.3 bestseller in the US during June, there's no surprise that it has edged closer to the elusive 100 million club.
While it might seem like everyone who was going to pick up a copy of Grand Theft Auto V would've done so by now, the game still has a steady stream of newcomers that keep it ticking along. What the magic formula was that made the game outsell its predecessors is a mystery, but both Rockstar and Take-Two are still riding on the coattails of its success. Another part of the Grand Theft Auto V's longevity has been its ties to Grand Theft Auto Online. As the multiplayer partner to the main game, Take-Two went on to confirm that the recent GTA Online: After Hours expansion even did better than 2017's Doomsday Heist, which in itself was a record-breaker. Either way, the Grand Theft Auto name still has plenty of rounds in its chamber.
Rockstar still has a busy year ahead of it as 2018 finally marks the release of Red Dead Redemption 2. Although the long-awaited sequel is expected to be another record-breaking title for the company, even industry experts aren't sure if anything will ever topple Grand Theft Auto V from its winning streak. Minecraft and Tetris may be the only two to have sold more, but there is no escaping Grand Theft Auto V's latest feat. As for what happens to the fictional state of San Andreas next, players are still waiting patiently for any news about Grand Theft Auto VI.
