There was no reason to think momentum would slow, but when Take Two Interactive Software released "The Lost and the Damned," a $20 downloadable add-on to "GTA IV" via Xbox Live in February, things got real quiet.
To date, neither Microsoft nor Take Two has released sales numbers for the digital download, but analysts speculate the number to be at or below the 1 million mark.
That's... ok, but it's hardly the barnburner the industry was expecting.
To put it in perspective, when Activision released a digital add-on for "Call of Duty 4" in early April, it sold over 1 million copies in just nine days.
A second "GTA IV" downloadable add-on pack is coming-- part of the $50 million exclusivity deal Microsoft signed with Take Two for the content.
But, to date, there has been a distinct lack of information from the companies -- and a greater lack of buzz about the content from gamers.
No one has exact numbers, but analysts don't believe that The Lost & Damned was a huge hit for Rockstar.
The article also cites the poor sales of GTA: Chinatown Wars as an indicator that the top-selling series is on the downslide these days. According to the article, Best Buy has slashed the price of the game to $19.99 after a month on the market, a strong indicator of an underperforming title. Are the salad days behind Rockstar's blockbuster series?
Sterling says: GTA: Chinatown Wars is one of those great games that evokes "chicken and egg" arguments from business analysts. It sold 87,000 copies in its first month, which are hardly Mario Kart DS numbers. Could it be that the DS is so mass market that most DS owners aren't GTA players? Could it be that many GTA players aren't DS owners? Personally, I've been playing the hell out of Chinatown Wars and like it much more than either PSP GTA title.As for the The Lost & Damned sales, it's tough to tell. Since there's no way to track how well downloadable content and big add-on packs sell, sales analysis is akin to surveying a room by looking through a keyhole. Based on my personal experience with both The Lost & Damned and the Fallout 3 DLC, I'm no longer worrying about platform-exclusive content, since I gave up on both games' expansions after a few hours. It's not enough incentive for me to pick the 360 version over the PS3 one anymore. I'd rather flip a coin.
Despite the vocal disdain from some gamers regarding GTA4, there are still plenty of fans out there waiting for another game, be it console or handheld. I think the reports of GTA's demise are greatly exaggerated.
But that's my opinion. Tell me, are you over GTA?
