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

Coming soon: Red Dead Redemption trailer

Rockstar announced today that a new Trailer for Red Dead Redemption is set to drop on Dec. 1st and we can't be more excited. Yeah I know the game was originally scheduled for a released this month so our excitement is a bit countered by disappointment that the game got pushed in the first place. Even though this title is a sequel to Red Dead Revolver, its truly the first Western inspired sandbox game to come from Rockstar since the first was a pick up from Capcom and was more linear than most Rockstar games.

Take Two claimed RDR was pushed more for financial reasons than actual performance concerns with the game. We can only hope that the extra time added to development will make for even greater polish. The tag-line for the new trailer inspires a bit of Fight Club flashbacks "My name is John Marston". Check back here on Dec. 1st and we'll have our impressions of the new trailer for Red Dead Redemption. So if pre-order dates are correct we can all get our hands on it sometime in April.

11/21/09 David Allison

Rockstar on GTA V: We need to think of characters, and then find a city

Rockstar has seen the record set by their mega title GTA IV obliterated by the release of Modern Warfare 2 which sold in one day what GTA IV managed in one week; but according to Dan Houser, co-president of Rockstar, they're more thrilled than ever to delve into development of the next title.'

Speaking of the next title which of course will be GTA V, he revealed in a recent interview what must be accomplished before said title can go into pre-development.

"We'll think of a city first," Houser said, "then the characters."

Houser also spoke about his love for creating games and that the only time he would give it up is if he becomes exhausted.

"Only through exhaustion," he smiles. It changes your appreciation of the world, but only in a positive way. You are suddenly not as important as you thought you were. As a man in particular, you realize how appalling selfish or self-absorbed you are and seeing that change is great," Houser added.

So all the rumors running rampant on the web about GTA V coming out this year or even early next year have been debunked. Rockstar hasn't even settled on a location.

Get more through up there.

11/16/09 Ernice Gilbert