GTA IV for PS3 and Xbox 360 to sell 9 million copies at launch
By Jonathan Schlaffer
Unlike the launch of Halo 3 which was surrounded by trailer after trailer and game footage and to some extent "spoilers" there is no such thing going on for GTA IV. There are trailers for GTA IV but only to the extent that Rockstar wants us to see and no more. Microsoft positioned Halo 3 to sell Xbox 360s but Rockstar is only concerned with selling the game, plain and simple.
This is because it isn’t limited to one console since it is being sold on both the PS3 and Xbox 360. So, the company can concentrate on portraying the game to the masses in exactly the manner it wants to.
Rockstar vice president, Dan Houser told the Associated Press,
"We want people to be really excited and not know everything by the time they play the game. Of course, we want them to understand what they’re buying, but we want there to be surprises along the way."
Not much information has leaked about GTA IV aside from what official information Rockstar has released and it seems to be working. Everyone is more curious than ever about the game so the silence has worked; no expensive marketing campaign, no hype and sales are predicted to be through the roof. What company could ask for more?
GTA IV will go on sale simultaneously for both the PS3 and Xbox 360 which is a first for the franchise. video game analyst, Michael Pachter with Wedbush Morgan says,
"How many will sell in the first week or month or few months? Nine million. That’s the number. That’s about a 35 percent attach rate. By year’s end, it’ll be somewhere between 11 and 13 million because more consoles will be sold before the holidays."
Some retailers will be opening their doors at midnight to start sales of the game. As of publish time, that’s just eight hours from now but I wouldn’t get in line just yet, there’s bound to be plenty to go around. If you do buy it, be sure to call in sick to work tomorrow, unless this happens to be your job, aren’t I the lucky one?
But where’s the PC version, Rockstar, where?
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Tips N4G
April 29th, 2008
dear michael pachter,
please shut up. you haven’t been right about anything gaming related in longer than i can remember. you fail. see hr and clock out.
thank you
management
April 29th, 2008
MANY could say the same or you kev… mainly me…
but yes.. Pachter IS making silly assumptions… like someone ELSE I know… hmm I wonder who??
April 29th, 2008
darkwhite - aw..c’mon…go easy on gerry and the pacemakers. he’s an old man.
April 29th, 2008
*laughs*
Ok, didn’t see that one coming. Nice one, Kevin.
But… is Gerry really an old man? Do you know him IRL?
-Arvis
April 29th, 2008
arvis - i’m thinking so. by his name and the way he writes. very cranky-old-man-ish.