GTA V is the latest instalment in Rockstar’s highly successful ultra-violent franchise and it also happens to be the biggest game coming out this year. How big? Well, according to RW Baird analyst Colin Sebastian, the game could generate over $1 billion in retail sales in the first month of sales.
Sebastian estimates shipments will hit 12 million units this quarter and by the end of the year they will pass the 20 million mark. Total GTA IV sales were 25 million units.
For a bit of perspective, let’s take a look at some of the highest grossing Hollywood blockbusters of all time. Fewer than 20 films generated that much revenue, and very few managed to top $1 billion in the opening month. Avatar’s worldwide gross was $2.78 billion, while Jurassic Park reached $1.03 billion.
It looks like GTA V will be a boon for the industry. With new consoles and graphics cards in the pipeline, Rockstar’s blockbuster will undoubtedly boost sales across the board. On the other hand, with so much demand one may assume that sales of other titles will take a hit, but Sebastian is a bit more optimistic.
"We believe that consumer demand for GTA V is a useful yardstick to measure potential sales momentum for other key 2013 releases, most notably Call of Duty Ghosts (ATVI), Battlefield 4 (EA) and Assassin's Creed IV (UbiSoft). Our retail checks suggest that Activision and EA are both aggressively courting GTA buyers to pre-order titles," he said.
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