GTA IV for PS3 and Xbox 360 to sell 9 million copies at launch

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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