Very few modern games survive beyond a year of relevance, much less over a decade. Grand Theft Auto 5 has managed to do just that, as a new milestone takes shape thanks to information found in a new interview with Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick.
Over at The Game Business, Zelnick chimes in on several subjects, most notably the recent delay of Grand Theft Auto 6, and the continued success of Grand Theft Auto 5. In no uncertain terms, he explains the secret sauce behind GTA 5 and how it has endured this long in the public eye.
Grand Theft Auto 5 Has Sold 220 Million Units
“GTA+ Continues To Grow”
Reiterating his support for GTA Online, Zelnick had this to say about the legacy of GTA, including Grand Theft Auto 5‘s long tail: “We continue to supply content to GTA Online, and in fact we’ve had terrific results there. And GTA+ continues to grow its membership. In fact, it’s had 20% growth year-over-year. And GTA 5 has sold in more than 220 million units.”
For the record, this is the most up-to-date “sold in” data for the game, following the previous “220 million copies shipped” figure. In terms of the bigger picture, GTA V is the second-best-selling game of all time, behind Minecraft, which is the king at a whopping 350 million units. One of the few games that even approaches GTA 5 is Wii Sports (a pack-in) at roughly 83 million, and Red Dead Redemption 2 at 79 million.
GTA 6 Is Still On The Way
It Could Beat That Figure Over Time
That’s right: Rockstar has two spots in the top five best-selling games of all time list. It’s a massive achievement, and I can see Grand Theft Auto 6 cracking the charts at some point, likely dethroning Mario Kart 8 Deluxe out of the top five. Following its delay to late 2026, Rockstar has ample time to determine how it can capitalize on the launch and beyond.
Zelnick seems ready, based on his outlook following the delay: “It’s not that far in advance if you look at when you need to deliver a game to get it out…also, we have to start marketing activities in a significant amount of time ahead of release. What we want to do is give consumers as much certainty as possible. And again, we feel quite good about this date.”
Odds are the team is cooking up something for Grand Theft Auto 6‘s online component to help it rival the experience that fans currently have in the era of Grand Theft Auto 5. They’ll need a rock-solid live service plan to make that happen.
- Released
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September 17, 2013
- ESRB
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M For Mature 17+ due to Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Mature Humor, Nudity, Strong Language, Strong Sexual Content, Use of Drugs and Alcohol
- Developer(s)
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Rockstar North
- Engine
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Rockstar Advanced Game Engine