Move over, Master Chief. There's a new blockbuster on the block, one that's armed, dangerous and ready to steal the spotlight once and for all.
According to industry insiders, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto IV is poised to make Microsoft's Halo 3 look like a small-time crook when it hits stores on April 29th. Analysts expect the free-roaming crime drama to generate over $400 million in its opening week alone.
How big is that exactly? When it comes to video games, it's unrivaled, about a hundred million more than Halo 3 and closing in on the top film opening ever, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. The Johnny Depp swashbuckler pulled in $401 million in its opening six-day salvo.
And just like Jack Sparrow, retailers are bracing for the storm. Game stores like Gamestop and EB Games as well as major electronics chains Wal-Mart and Best Buy will be holding midnight madness events to cash in on the buzz,. For the truly dedicated, Game Crazy stores are hosting the Extreme GTA IV Experience at 10 locations nationwide. Show up and you might walk off with an exclusive GTA IV Xbox 360 faceplate, so keep the car running for a safe getaway.
The U.S. isn't the only country going gaga for GTA. Massive pre-sell orders have already pushed retailers in the UK to stop taking any more for fear of running out of product before launch day -- but interestingly, that might be Microsoft's fault. To ensure that consumers will opt for the Xbox 360 version over the PS3 version, the hardware manufacturer has stated that their marketing support for GTA IV will be just as big as the epic blitz for Halo 3.
Rockstar, meanwhile, considers this kind of hype old hat. The last Grand Theft Auto game, GTA: San Andreas, is still the best-selling video game in the United States, with over eight and a half million copies sold stateside and over 21 million worldwide.
However, the embattled company has recently had its hands full turning back a takeover bid from competing software giant Electronic Arts, who have aggressively pursued Rockstar's parent company, Take 2 Interactive. Following disappointing sales for their last few releases (including controversial action game Manhunt 2), the company is effectively pinning its future on the success of GTA IV.
That's just amazing... this game is going to be almost as huge as my... excitement?
GTA4 is a testament to the how huge the gaming industry is becoming. One of PS3's biggest game so far, its gonna shake some worlds.
I also can't wait for the after shock of the game to erupt, violence in GTA games have always pushed the envelope but I'm interested to hear what they have to say about this one
violence in GTA games have always pushed the envelope
You know, I think that's kind of plateaued. As I've been playing the game, I'm not noticing anything more graphic or grotesque about any of the violence in it.
The graphics are better, and there's a lot more detail, but it's not like there're Manhunt 2 types of kills.
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