Take-Two Not Too Pleased With GTA IV Expansion Sales

When it was announced that Grand Theft Auto IV expansion packs would be released exclusively for the Xbox 360, PS3 owners were not too happy. The deal cost Microsoft $50 million, a move I'm not sure they're rejoicing over now that sales of the DLCs are not too exciting.

""Both we and Microsoft Believe that there was a big market for GTA IV episodic content," Ben Feder, Take-Two's CEO admitted to investors on a conference call on Thursday.

Feder seems to believe that timing caused the lackluster performance. "Both were released significantly after unit and therefore weren't able to leverage GTA IV's initial marketing campaign and initial launch fervor."

The first expansion, The Lost and Damned came out in February 2009, The Ballad of Gay Tony made its way to Xbox Live this past October. In the same month, Rockstar also released Episodes From Liberty City, a retail disc that included both expansions.

Neither Take-Two nor Microsoft have released the sales figures of the expansions, but considering Feder's language and the fact that Episodes of Liberty City failed to make the NPD's top 20 list in November, I think it's safe to conclude that the games underperformed.

Although the sales are slower than anticipated, Feder believes there's longevity in the expansions. "There's very little precedent for this type of episodic content at the price point we offered it," he said, "and so, we're confident that these titles will continue to have a long life just as we've seen a long life from all our prior GTA releases."

Alright folks, what do you think was the biggest contributing factor to weak sales of the expansions? Comment below.

[Via Kotaku]

12/19/09 Ernice Gilbert

Grand Theft Auto doesn't need to be an annual franchise says Take-Two

Guess what? You won't be playing GTA 5 until 2011. Yeah we know most you already knew that but Take-Two hammered it home for the unbelievers.

In its 4Q fiscal call, the company said that Grand Theft Auto is a popular and strong enough franchise that a yearly iteration is not necessary, especially with the completion of the GTA IV story through DLC proving to remain profitable.

Are you are believer now? Good. Now leave it alone.

12/04/09 Ernice Gilbert

Take-Two delays unnamed AAA title

Could it be Bioshock 2? Speculation after the read but this is really something.

Apparently Take-Two has delayed an unnamed triple A title according to its Q4 fiscal call to investors. CEO Ben Feder would not give any info on the delayed title. Nothing.

Whatever it is, it's delayed which means you'll have to wait longer for Bioshock 2 it.

Start guessing.

UPDATE: CEO Ben Feder now says "We decided to move one AAA title that was originally part of our 2010 projections out of the 2010 fiscal year."

So obviously it can't be Bishock 2, that game's a sure bet for February next year.

12/04/09 Ernice Gilbert

THE DELAY OF BIOSHOCK 2 IS A GOOD THING

Take-Two Interactive recently announced that the highly anticipated sequel Bioshock 2 has been delayed until “fiscal year 2010.” In my humble opinion, that’s good news for gamers and investors alike.

Although one could argue that the push back of Bioshock 2 into 2010 robs 2009 of another AAA title, the situation also allow gamers to save a few bucks for what will be a money-draining holiday season. Think about it, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Modern Warfare 2, Lost planet 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Mass Effect 2, and you will quickly notice your pocket can’t stretch that long; well some of your wallets can, but most people can’t drop $300.00 on games this Christmas. In my view, Bioshock is a game that deserves much attention when it is released, trying to do just that this fall is like climbing atop a mountain only to find there’s no spot to pitch your tent; all the spaces are taken. What Take-Two did makes sense.

Remember the company behind Bioshock, is the same company behind Max Payne 3, Red Dead Redemption, Mafia II and yes, Grand Theft Auto. This is a sign that take-two interactive no longer depends heavily on the GTA franchise to churn in profits, but instead has garnered other great franchises to help make the company successful. If you’re into stocks, in my humble opinion now is the time to buy you some Take-Two Interactive shares. Hey it’s only $9 now and picked at $25.75, a 52-week high, so there’s definitely space for growth. Analyst Jesse Divnich sent out an email to journalists, here’s what it says:

"Take-Two has made a very intrepid move by putting gamers before investors, an act most publishers wouldn’t usually consider, and even though investors are likely to punish Take-Two for this delay, we as gamers should reward them for their persistence on improving game quality over meeting 'financial expectations.' A delayed release will not diminish BioShock 2 sales, where a game whose quality didn’t meet consumer expectations definitely would sell fewer units. As far as I am concerned, Take-Two is just moving numbers from one financial year to another."

Yes, the guys at Take-Two are more concerned with creating a second to none experience for gamers, rather than making investors happy by rushing out a half-baked game. In the end they will be rewarded with blockbuster sales. Bioshock 2 deserves the extra time, the only question is, how patient are you?

08/01/09 Ernice Gilbert