With the release of the highly anticipated Grand Theft Auto IV less than two weeks away, and constant news of game stores selling out their preorders, one must wonder how well it will sell.
Bungie’s Halo 3 opened to over 300 million dollars last September, becoming one of the largest opening week for any form of entertainment. Beating out the likes of its prequel Halo 2, and the hugely popular motion, picture Spiderman 3.
Latest sales estimates from Variety suggest that GTA will surpass even the mighty Halo 3 and securely snag the record for most successful first week release. But considering Halo 3 is exclusive to Microsoft’s Xbox 360, one also must wonder are these sources estimating sales for one platform, or for both the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. The two platforms GTA IV will be releasing on April 29th, 2008.
With estimates of a 400 million dollar release for GTA IV, the definitive answer is no. If early estimates are correct, GTA IV will only sell 3-3.5 million copies on the Xbox 360…quite distant from Halo 3’s five million copies sold during its first week.
Preorders for both Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game indicate that they are neck and neck, odd considering the Xbox’s record setting attach rate, and overall lead in hardware. If reports are true, then people actually do see Grand Theft Auto as a Playstation franchise.
If estimates are correct, Grand Theft Auto IV will sell more than Halo 3 if all platforms are included. But these estimates also clearly suggest that Halo 3 for the Xbox 360 will maintain its record of highest selling first week game on a single platform.
