"We expect GTA IV will be a huge blockbuster and the No. Take-Two did not return requests for comment on this story - but Electronic Arts did.
When EA first went public with its deal, Take-Two said it would not consider any potential suitors until after the launch of GTA IV, and noted that EA's proposed offer of $26 per share was too low, partially because the company had a huge blockbuster about to be released. Last month, Microsoft and Sony each moved about a quarter of a million systems - not bad for the traditional post-Christmas lull, but nothing compared to Nintendo's 720,000 Wii sales. The Xbox 360 user base is still larger than Wii's in the United States, but the gap is shrinking quickly. What's more, Microsoft then announced that it would have exclusive downloadable content - for which it advanced publisher Take-Two $50 million in royalties last year.
Heritage or no, Microsoft made waves at E3 in 2006 when it announced that GTA IV would launch on its console day-and-date with the PlayStation version. Of course, it's also one of those titles for the Xbox 360. But GTA IV could change that perception, he says: "What we're seeing this year is potentially where they can break out with an improved release lineup, and GTA is one of those titles."
Gta 4 ps3 software#
A big part of PS3's problem, says Sebastian, was that PlayStation 3 hasn't had nearly as compelling a software lineup, nothing to combat Halo 3 or Wii Sports.