GTA V day one sales estimated at $800 million

Ask anyone who has worked on a big budget game, and they’ll tell you that nothing is more important than first week sales. That’s where the bulk of the profits will come from, as a crowded marketplace and a second-hand environment only have so many days with which to turn a profit. And GTA V just turned a profit so ludicrous, it’s almost as criminal as its three lead characters.

According to internal sales estimates at Take Two, GTA V made $800 million on its opening day. Eight. Hundred. Million.Dollars. Italic font.

These figures come from sales across PS3 and Xbox 360, from European and North American territories. And that’s before the game has even gone on sale in Brazil and Japan. “All of us at Take-Two are thrilled with the initial response to Grand Theft Auto V,” Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said in a press release that I’m about to lazily copy and paste below.

Once again, the team at Rockstar Games have outdone themselves, setting the entertainment industry’s new standard for creativity, innovation and excellence.

Beginning at midnight on Monday, consumers around the world gathered in anticipation to be among the first to experience the evolution of this remarkable series. In North America alone, more than 8,300 stores opened their doors at midnight to welcome fans whose loyalty and enthusiasm were rewarded with what The New York Times called ‘the most immersive spectacle in interactive entertainment’.

We are incredibly proud of Rockstar Games’ creative achievement and could not be more pleased with the success of this launch. Fiscal year 2014 is off to a great start.

It’s going to be a good business year for Take Two. GTA V will most likely hit the billion dollar mark before year’s end, while their upcoming slate also includes WWE 2K14, NBA 2K14 and XCOM: Enemy Within. And then there’s still the matter of more DLC for mega-popular games such as Borderlands 2 and Bioshock Infinite.

Last Updated: September 19, 2013