GTA IV boosts PS3 sales in US

By Ellie Gibson Published 2 May, 2008

But how much by, exactly?

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced sales of PlayStation 3 have been boosted in the US following the release of Grand Theft Auto IV.

However, the company hasn't issued any specific figures. Instead there's just a statement from Bob McKenzie, bigwig at top shop GameStop.

"From our position, the launch of GTA IV has been tremendous in driving traffic to our stores, as well as providing a vigorous lift in PS3 console sales over this time last week," McKenzie said.

"We attribute the growth to a huge fan base of PS2 owners who see this title as the trigger for the PS3 upgrade they've been planning."

Meanwhile, leading industry clairvoyant Michael Pachter has been at the tarot again. "I think brand loyalty is going to kick in for Sony, starting today," he said, placing the card marked BRAND LOYALTY on the table.

"There is a huge installed base of loyal PlayStation 2 owners who have been looking for a reason to upgrade, and they have strong previous ties to the Grand Theft Auto franchise on PlayStation platforms."

Remember when GTA was PlayStation-exclusive? Also we've got some other good games honest! So spoke Sony's Peter Dille. Or more specifically: "Grand Theft Auto fans who love the game grew up on PlayStation and we believe that rich heritage will be a deciding factor for many gamers at retail.

"This enthusiasm for GTA IV, combined with the excitement behind Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, Metal Gear Solid 4, LittleBigPlanet, and Resistance 2 will further drive PS3 hardware sales." But Peter, you forgot Afrika!

NPD has yet to release sales figures for GTA IV, but the game has broken records in the UK - with 609,000 copies sold on the first day of release.

Picture of Ellie.

About Ellie Gibson

Since joining Eurogamer in the mid 2000s, Ellie has written about subjects as diverse as the fall of Gizmondo, the rise of Hollyoaks actresses in Red Alert games and the noise a bear makes under NSFW circumstances.

Read more articles from Ellie by visiting the Ellie Gibson archive page.

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Comments (32) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Dizzy #1 4 years ago

    I would assume it also boosted 360 sales.

    I wonder what it will do for the Wii? Will "casuals" suddenly turn back to the GTA licence?

    Edit: Hmm I see there is a MS press release up as well.
    Edited by 1 at 02/05/08 @ 08:48

  • petebritish #2 4 years ago

    It might have sold a lot of copies 1st day, but it won't sell many this week as like is typical no shops have got any stock left! Sort it out please! !

  • The-Bodybuilder #3 4 years ago

    >"I wonder what it will do for the Wii? Will "casuals" suddenly turn back to the GTA licence? "

    Did they go the GTA license in the first place before turning back on it?

  • Dizzy #4 4 years ago

    >Did they go the GTA license in the first place before turning back on it?

    I don't know. The big selling numbers of the franchise might suggest so. GTA is everywhere in the news... so I am wondering if this will have any impact on console gamers that have no access to it at the moment (Wii).

  • Mr_Dodger #5 4 years ago

    Pachter trots out "There is a huge installed base of loyal PlayStation 2 owners who have been looking for a reason to upgrade, and they have strong previous ties to the Grand Theft Auto franchise on PlayStation platforms." seemingly on a daily basis. I think it's overstated. I don't think there are that many PS2 owners specifically waiting for IV to jump ship that haven't already got a PS3 or 360. I don't think they're all sitting waiting for IV to be released and ignoring everything else released in the last year or 2.

  • The-Bodybuilder #6 4 years ago

    I can't imagine nanny jones and uncle wilbert along with mom & pops leaving thier wii fit and sonic & mario at the olympics for a game that always gets slaughtered by the meanstream media......the same mainstream media that probably told them to by the wii.

  • lambtron #7 4 years ago

    Resistance 2?

    hmm.

  • Ryze #8 4 years ago

    a load of people will want to play GTA IV once they see mates playing it - regardless of the console they own.

    This game will sell for a couple of years.

    M$ should get a bundle sorted quick!

  • GamesConnoisseur #9 4 years ago

    There is Wii Fit, which is going to be a system seller on its own right, but interesting what will be the performance for going head to head with GTAIV?!

    Wii Fit may not compete in the immediate short term but over the long run it will continue to sell Wii such as Wii Sports had for Wii.



  • The-Bodybuilder #10 4 years ago

    wasn't wii sports free though?
    But I don't doubt your views that it will be a long-term seller, more like brain-training.

  • Vandrius #11 4 years ago

    There is a solid basis for saying that this will boost PS3 sales, while ignoring its effect on the 360.

    The 360 base is fairly well entrenched now. There aren't many system-seller games that haven't already spurred people to buy their 360's. Will alot of 360 copies get sold? Heck yes - but mainly to people who already own a 360.

    The PS3 base is still in that initial growth spurt... and GTAIV will be enough in many cases to tip the people waiting for the games into buying a console, especially on the back of the price cut a while back.

    It'll move some 360's, but it will move more PS3's.

  • anomagnus #12 4 years ago

    do you what continually surprises me, the media hype over littlebigplanet

    i dont know a single gamer looking forward to it

    maybe they're all hidden or something

  • bad09 #13 4 years ago

    I have to agree with anomagnus, I honestly cannot see what the big deal with LBP is. I'm not saying it will be rubbish or anything just I can't see why Sony and PS3 fans are making so much of it.

  • Xerx3s #14 4 years ago

    Oh look, someone used a $ symbol as a reference to ms. How quint.

  • drumbaby #15 4 years ago

    Same reason Xbox/ Ninty fans make a big fuss over their exclusives...If it's not because they're actually gagging to play it, then probably just for bragging rights.

  • aldo_14 #16 4 years ago

    I think it's overstated. I don't think there are that many PS2 owners specifically waiting for IV to jump ship that haven't already got a PS3 or 360. I don't think they're all sitting waiting for IV to be released and ignoring everything else released in the last year or 2.

    I dunno, I have been....

    I'm thinking, anyways, that there may have been a lot of people waiting to see how good GTA IV was before deciding which of the two to move to.

  • Horse #17 4 years ago

    I'm waiting for GTA IV to come out on PC myself.

  • chrisjm #18 4 years ago

    3 or 4 maybe

  • Gaol #19 4 years ago

    Wonder how many new owners are pissed that the first game they buy has a tendency to lock up the machine.

  • keyboardmonkey #20 4 years ago

    It seems that more people (in the uk) bought the Xbox360 version than the PS3 version (on the first day). So i wonder if any of the xbox360 purchases were sold with a new console as well.

  • Gurgeh #21 4 years ago

    "Microsoft tells Next-Gen that the Xbox 360 version of Grand Theft Auto IV is outselling the PlayStation 3 version by a wide margin in the US, but Sony questions Microsoft's claims...

    "What we've heard anecdotally from our retail partners is that the Xbox 360 version of the game is outselling the PS3 version by a margin of two-to-one," said Aaron Greenberg, director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. But a SCEA rep questioned Microsoft's findings, saying that Microsoft's two-to-one ratio "doesn't line up" with what Sony has been hearing from its retailers"

    http://ww w.next-gen.biz/index.php?option...

  • Vin #22 4 years ago

    Sadly, Patcher gets paid an extraordinary amount for talking gash like this.

  • WinterSnowblind #23 4 years ago

    @bad09

    I have to agree there. It looks like a very interesting game, and the customisation content looks great.. But the gameplay doesn't look particularly interesting to me, once the novelty of being able to create your own levels and what naught wears off I don't think it's something I'd touch ever again. Spore on the other hand is being released at around the same time and offers a similar degree of customisation, being able to completely sculpt your own creatures, vehicles, buildings, etc, and seems to have some really indepth gameplay to boot.

    Of course, Nintendo and Xbox fans are responsible for exactly the same thing, but I don't think all that many people are all honestly interested in LBP, it does seem like more of a "Look we have this! you don't!" And of course, Resistance is another terrible offender of this, it's the Sony fanboys grabbing at any game they could elevate to the status of Halo.
    Edited by 1 at 02/05/08 @ 11:15

  • CunningLinguist #24 4 years ago

    I'm a PS2 owner, and PS3 is too rich for my blood. But come xmas and maybe a price cut I'll get one. I have nothing against the 360, just that it never appealed to me. So I guess the guy isn't that far off, there are those of us who are waiting for the right time to jump on and get a PS3

  • bad09 #25 4 years ago

    swam

    The game has only been out for only 4 days. Stop watching every chart every day for a faint hope of Sony "victory" over the evil dictator Microsoft. WE GET IT you love PS3 and Kaz Hirai is your main dude! Life is too short just enjoy the game - which I hear is better on 360 :)

    / legs it!
    Edited by 1 at 02/05/08 @ 12:33

  • TRACTORBOY1971 #26 4 years ago

    Everyones a winner, Sony because more consoles will be shifted, Microsoft because more subscribers to XBL.
    All in all it is a good week for both, and a good week for me 10 hours in and I am on 18% completed, would have done more hours, but I am not allowed to play it in front of the kids, and all they want to play is Halo 3 or Rachet and clank on the PS3.

    Happy days

  • Quak #27 4 years ago

    Would this be the same Sony that said the GTA franchise had not been important in shifting PS2 consoles when it was announced that it was also heading over to Xbox?

    Do these guys really believe that the public has no memory?

  • Machiavellian #28 4 years ago

    I see GTA4 having strong legs on both platforms but in the US you will continue to see better sell on the 360 due to the user base. Another issue is online play which is getting a lot of love. With the large userbase of 360 onwers in the US, this will help the sell of GTA4 on the 360 due to the fact that people purchase the console their friends have especially if they plan on playing online. It would be silly to purchase the PS3 for GTA if all of your friends have a 360.

    It should be interesting to see if there were a pick up in console sells for GTA. If so a one week victory would mean nothing since word of mouth should continue to sell GTA all year if not longer and thus spur more console purchases like it did the PS2.

  • Madlax #29 4 years ago

    Considering the install base difference between the PS3 and the 360 in the US, a 2:1 is not good for the Microsoft, there are 3 times as many 360,s in the US than PS3,s yet the ratio is said to be 2:1 and those numbers are according to Microsoft, we,l see what the real ratio is eventually.

    @anon

    Your surprised about LBP media hype, but your not surprised about the Wii-fit hype ? ;) as for the LBP, go to Neogaf and youl find 'hundreds' waiting for the game.

    I believe LBP will turn out to be the most addictive piece of software to be released, it has this magic to attract both 'casual' and 'Hardcore', and with the level of customization shown, it will keep evolving and expanding.

    Its a game that sells it self in 10 secs.




  • cyber_nicco #30 4 years ago

    I bought Saint's Row yesterday for $15.00 US, and I'm having quite a lot of fun with it.

  • crazy-play #31 4 years ago

    I have it!

  • Rchrd874 #32 4 years ago

    If u r tired of getting 720p on COD4 and GTA IV just go to the following, go to settings, then display setting, go on video output setting, click on HDMI, custom, then click off all other besides 1080p save settings then there u go full definition on GTA IV and COD4 not sure if it works on other games if it doesn't have 1080p on the back of the cover