It's hard to believe it's been four years since GTA IV took the games world by storm. In that time, Assassin's Creed has grown to become a blockbuster giant with five core games to its name, four handheld spin-offs and a Facebook game. Call of Duty has released a new entry every November, ever since Modern Warfare blew the record books to pieces. Yet despite the lure of a big cash injection every Christmas, GTA publisher Take Two has no intention of following the trend.
Take Two boss Strauss Zelnick explained the strategy at a technology conference in Arizona, comparing the GTA series to James Bond movies. Those are seen as an event because fans have to wait for them, which keeps them "special".
"You run the risk...of having consumers fall out of love with that franchise," Zelnick told his audience, explaining that unless based on a sport, games which release a new entry every year tend to "hit the wall" as far as sales and popularity are concerned.
Clearly, that's not something GTA has to worry about. Zelnick also revealed that the series has shifted an eye-watering 125 million copies over the years. 25 million of those come from GTA IV alone.
Can GTA V top that? We'll find out when it launches in 2013.
Published: 29/11/2012
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