Take-Two and Rockstar Games announced Grand Theft Auto V has sold over 120 million units worldwide. Sales for the game were around 20 million units in 2019 alone, which makes it the best-selling year for the title since the year it launched in 2013.
The game sold roughly 32.5 million units in 2013, 12.5 million in 2014, 15 million in 2015, 2016, and 2016, 10 million in 2018, and now 20 million in 2019, according to senior analyst at Niko Partners Daniel Ahmad.
The Diamond Casino and Resort and Diamond Casino Heist updates for Grand Theft Auto Online exceeded the publisher's expectations. It is now on track to set a new record for recurrent consumer spending.
Rockstar Games recently put Grand Theft Auto V on Xbox Game Pass. "Putting out something on Game Pass in this way was a test," said Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick about the game coming to Xbox Game Pass.
"We're gratified that it worked out incredibly well...having it on Game Pass day and date was quite a different approach than the one we'd normally take.
"We see subscription vehicles as more catalog-friendly than frontline friendly, but we reserve the right to make unique decisions in unique circumstances."
Rockstar Games added Red Dead Redemption 2 has shipped over 29 million units worldwide at the end of 2019, up from 26.5 million units sold from the previous quarter. The boost in sales can be attributed to the release of the game on Windows PC.
Borderlands 3 has sold nearly eight million units worldwide, announced Rockstar Games. NBA 2K20 has sold over right million units.
Mobile title NBA 2K Online has surpassed 48 million registered users in China and WWE SuperCard is over 20 million downloads.
Take-Two did briefly mention Google Stadia as they released Red Dead Redemption 2, NBA 2K20 and Borderlands 3 on the platform.
"We feel it's early days," he said. "We do believe in streaming as a distribution vehicle, distribution technology. We certainly are supportive of our friends at Google; it is early days though.
"We're very open-minded and our strategy is to typically be wherever the consumer is and to work with as many people as we can on distribution."
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick did discuss Rockstar Games' founder Dan Houser, who is leaving the company on March 11. Dan Houser's writing credits include the two Red Dead Redemption games, Grand Theft Auto V, Bully, and Max Payne 3.
"We're grateful for his contributions and we respect all of our team members greatly, and the fact that they may move on does not in any way influence that respect, and we wish Dan well," Zelnick said. "That said, he has been on an extended leave for quite some time, and during that time Rockstar has gone from strength to strength.
"Most recently, announcing that Red Dead Online in the quarter was up sequentially and up year-over-year in a very meaningful way and has gained great momentum. And Grand Theft Auto Online had its best quarter ever and is expected to set a new record.
"Rockstar Games individually, and Take-Two as a whole, are a team sport. The team leader at Rockstar Games is Sam Houser, who founded the label, and we believe in the entire team, led by Sam. We feel really great about it, even as we wish Dan well on the next chapter in his career."
