Grand Theft Auto V Cost Nearly $267 Million

[FogHornG36]

shut up about the pc port, they are not doing it right away because they want to see big numbers on release, and as much as i hate the argument about piracy, if there was a pc port, it would be on the Internets the day before release somehow, and it would take a bite out of the first day/week/month sales.

The budget is big because they are licensing music, as well as months worth of voice acting for the game as well as the in game radio, the budget is big because this is going to be a big game, with a big world.

 

[FogHornG36]

shut up about the pc port, they are not doing it right away because they want to see big numbers on release, and as much as i hate the argument about piracy, if there was a pc port, it would be on the Internets the day before release somehow, and it would take a bite out of the first day/week/month sales.

The budget is big because they are licensing music, as well as months worth of voice acting for the game as well as the in game radio, the budget is big because this is going to be a big game, with a big world.

Ugh, It got leaked on consoles before release.

So it isn't a PC only issue anymore. Consoles aren't secure anymore, this isn't 1994 and people figured out the technology.

How many people do you know own a moded xbox or ps3 to play pirate games on? now how many people do you know can play a pirate pc game?

I do understand that pirate consoles exist, but they are much more common in country's were people can't afford realistically can't afford to play what they charge for games makeing a black market for such things.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

Personally, I think it will sell maybe 10 million in the first 3 months. The price cut will grant maybe another 5 in 6 months. If they have a competent PC version released after this, they could maybe get another 5 before the 12 month frame is up.

 

[Mr F.]

I remember when a new GTA release was really exciting. Man times have changed. The only people really talking about this game are the media.

Lol.

GTA4 threads are doing so popular on reddit they are turning up on the front page. Reddit is on fire. This site is right now on fire. People on my FB pages are on fire. People want this game.

Me? I could not really give a damn. More of an RTS gamer. If it comes to PC, I will buy it. If it does not, I won't.

Also, are you a sarcasmbot or something?

I guess you're really excited about something that's not causing the fever pitch it used to. What's happening on Reddit or your Facebook page don't really compare to the kind of excitement these games used to create. What the hell is so sarcastic about that?

I dunno, I am subscribed to a hell of a lot of Reddit pages, yet do not visit them separately. I genuinely just go through the front page, ticking over till I hit about post 100 (So I only look over the 100 most popular posts at any time.). And yet I come across a hell of a lot of GTA5 threads, the number is going down as people get slightly tired, and a hell of a lot of GTA4 threads, cause people keep playing it in preparation for GTA5.

Like I said, I really do not give a damn about GTA5. I am not trying to say it is more popular, or less popular, but it is getting hyped to shit. At Reading Festival I ended up talking about it, both with the strangers I was camping with and the people who were buying beer from me (I was working one of the bars). Most of the people I know on FB are not gamers, I dropped out of the dedicated gaming society at Uni due to... Issues, yet I still get bombarded with GTA5 posts.

So lets see:
- Above Politics, Advice Animals, Funny, blah blah blah, all the stock reddits + smyths and a few I am forgetting, GTA5 posts are making it to the front page and into the top 100 with ease.
- At a music festival where people had come to listen to music I heard about GTA5. During just about every crowd. People coming from Skrillex? Chatted about GTA5. People coming from Alt-J? Chatted about GTA5. People between the ages of 16-28 want this game.
- Of my 100 or so facebook friends, maybe 20 are gamers. Most of those are strategy gamers. I still get a lot of posts about GTA5.

Most non-gamers you meet will have played a GTA game and will on some level want GTA5. If you have a console, you will be buying GTA5 at some point soon.

Saying people ain't excited about this is just simply wrong. I sorta think it might have reached the hype singularity though. I mean, I agree with you that we have not been flooded with GTA5 threads. When Skyrim came out, or was near to coming out, it seemed every other thread was a Skyrim thread posting that utterly misleading promo video. Perhaps because everyone knows that everyone with a console will be buying this game at some point (Second hand or otherwise) noone can be bothered talking about it?

I am just saying that I seriously doubt this game will flop. Again, I have no interest in it (If it ain't on PC I won't give it a second thought.) I ain't a fanboy, last GTA game I beat was Vice City. Its not even that I like Saints Row, SR2 was awesome, SR3 was so bad I couldn't play for more than an hour. I seriously do not care.

Which begs the question "Why have I written this incredibly long post refuting that people are not excited about a game that I am not in any way excited about?"

To which the answer is simple:

There aint any interesting gender-politics threads about, or even any interesting politics threads about, I am bored, my Minecraft mates are all asleep due to time differences and I am trying to distract myself from eating.

 

[Baron Tanks]

To put the 25 million copies into perspective. With around 80 M of both the Xbox360 and PS3 sold, they would have to sell a copy of GTA to 1 in 5 people that own one of these consoles. Seeing how this is all over the internet with people being generally stoked. Looking at the the excitement in my personal friends group (which is of course by no means statistically relevant) with pre-order rates alone approaching 50-60%. I dare you to name four people with either an xbox or ps3 that will not get this game for every one person you know that does. Also, this [http://www.destructoid.com/facts-about-game-consumers-i-learned-working-retail-261220.phtml] crowd will jump on this like nobody's business as well. I can point out a number of people that I know that only really play Call of Duty and Fifa (the Dutch equivalent to Madden) that will get this as soon as they can get their hands on it. I don't think 25 m is ambitious at all, I think it's very realistic. GTA IV did 6 m units in its first week alone apparently. I think people are more excited about this one and the installed base has only grown since. GTA online may even boost longer term sales. Imagine visiting someone that has GTA, playing GTA online and him telling you, we could do this together. Count me along the not surprised crowd if they reach and outreach their 25 million sales mark.

So is ~270 million a lot of money? Yes. Is it a sensible investment with a guaranteed profit? Definitely.

And if that blasted PC port does come within the first year, there's at least another 5-10 million.

 

[Strazdas]

GTA always was a huge budget huge sales deal. however i doubt the 25 millions prediction. after the dread of GTA 4 people will be more cautious now, i dont think it will even sell as much as gta 4 did because that sold on hype alone. Though it does seem like its a great game so i hope it suceeeeeeds.

The only media to ever cost more is Pirates 3, at 300 million.

What? Didnt Avatar cost 300 millions too?

Why? Just why? What could possibly be in the game to justify that kind of budget?
Off Topic: Is the word "literally" that hard to use correctly?

Spoiler

He literally did use it correctly.

http://www.salon.com/2013/08/22/according_to_the_dictionary_literally_now_also_means_figuratively_newscred/

get with the times.

So the word now has two different meanings? People misused it so much that we broke a word? Wow.

Yes. we did. i mean, if we can change the spelling of a word just because president (namely - bush) cant spell it, we sure as hell can change its meaning.
We also broke such words as gay (original meaning: happy), fag (original meaning - wooden stick) and so on. try telling people they should be using it in such way.

How many people do you know own a moded xbox or ps3 to play pirate games on? now how many people do you know can play a pirate pc game?

I do understand that pirate consoles exist, but they are much more common in country's were people can't afford realistically can't afford to play what they charge for games makeing a black market for such things.

Ill be honest here, i live in a country where piracy is rampant because after you pay for rent and food you really dont have anything left for games, but we got the best internet in the world, so...
And i know more people with jailbroken console than pirated games on PC. in fact i found that people are more willnig to buy legally on PC than console due to PC games being around 4 times cheaper.
ALL console games get leaked. Altrough the "pirates playing a week before official release" is more promininet on PC. this is mostly due to preloader services like steam, that lets you download the files a week ahead for people with weak internet connection, but we donwload it in 5 minutes and crack it. Piracy on consoles is very much as big a thing as piracy on PC, its just that it requires a investment of buying the actual console, while most PC pirates already have PC for other nongaming needs, so its "Easier" to pirate on PC. also you dont need to burn the DVD for PC versions so that saves some time.

There is no/barely any black market though. Its all free or legal, no shady guys in corners selling games for 10 dollars thing. But we are a nation of thieves anyway (seriuosly, a guy came back from london, and when ia sked him what did he see there his reply was "nothing to see but i stole so much!") so thats kinda given.

 

[Lictor Face]

267 million? That is...obscene.

Pirates 3's 300 million went into actors, special effects, extras, equipment costs , prop building blah blah blah.

What the hell is 267 million going to do for a game?

When I kill someone, is there fully animated decomposition over time? Complete with flies and nutrient break down? Do the trees in GTA V grow faster if I dump corpses near them?

GTA V had better be a goddamned life simulator with the sheer amount of money being funneled into it.

If the gaming gods smile on us, it hopefully won't end up like Rome 2. Broken, buggy and messed up upon release. They had better NOT pulled a Rome 2 on this one, with the obscene amount of money they put into it.

267 million. Well I be damned. That is probably enough money to buy yourself a plot of land and build a castle on it, hire people to be your private army and servants, and usher forth in the ( Insert name here ) Dynasty. And STILL have leftovers to spare.

 

[FogHornG36]

shut up about the pc port, they are not doing it right away because they want to see big numbers on release, and as much as i hate the argument about piracy, if there was a pc port, it would be on the Internets the day before release somehow, and it would take a bite out of the first day/week/month sales.

The budget is big because they are licensing music, as well as months worth of voice acting for the game as well as the in game radio, the budget is big because this is going to be a big game, with a big world.

Ugh, It got leaked on consoles before release.

So it isn't a PC only issue anymore. Consoles aren't secure anymore, this isn't 1994 and people figured out the technology.

How many people do you know own a moded xbox or ps3 to play pirate games on? now how many people do you know can play a pirate pc game?

I do understand that pirate consoles exist, but they are much more common in country's were people can't afford realistically can't afford to play what they charge for games makeing a black market for such things.

And how do you know modded consoles are rarer?

http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/08/05/student-arrested-for-modding-xbox-consoles/
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/nov/11/xbox-modded-consoles-live-cut-microsoft

If even students can do it, and its common, then it isn't some PC only issue.

There are over a million modded consoles we know of. The obvious mods. Its not hard to mod them either. The tech has been cracked. Instructions are out and about.

anyone who can read can mod consoles now.

With a game like GTA, it will be pirated regardless of platform. There is no "its only for poor countries" because people will pirate everywhere. A student got arrested in California. That isn't Russia or Africa.

Console piracy is more wide spread than you think it is. No one will admit it like a guy won't admit he raped a girl while in front of a video camera.

did you even read my post? Didn't say that console piracy is rare, its just much more common on pc, anyone can do it on any pc that can play the game. To get a modded console you would need to ether buy one online, or buy the parts,chips,whatever and have the know how on how to install it, and not everyone knows how to sodder a board

 

[El_Duderino]

I remember when a new GTA release was really exciting. Man times have changed. The only people really talking about this game are the media.

Lol.

GTA4 threads are doing so popular on reddit they are turning up on the front page. Reddit is on fire. This site is right now on fire. People on my FB pages are on fire. People want this game.

Me? I could not really give a damn. More of an RTS gamer. If it comes to PC, I will buy it. If it does not, I won't.

Also, are you a sarcasmbot or something?

I guess you're really excited about something that's not causing the fever pitch it used to. What's happening on Reddit or your Facebook page don't really compare to the kind of excitement these games used to create. What the hell is so sarcastic about that?

Take off your rose tinted goggles, sunshine, and realize that even though the world has changed and the way we discuss video games has changed, it's probably just you. You've become older, sadder and more cynical over the years and I can't blame you. I've had a hoot talking about GTA V amongst friends. I mean, if you've glanced over GTAforums (cesspool of bullshit) and the GrandtheftautoV subreddit, you will be able to tell that this game has some DIE HARD motherfucking fans that are excited as schoolgirls about every little detail of this game.
Your opinion is subjective, that's all I'm trying to say.

On a seperate note, all of you saying that ROckstar is somehow gonna lose money, despite this large investment. PUH fuckin' LEASE, alright? This shit is gonna sell like hot cakes, and you know it. There is no doom in sight for the behemoth that is Rockstar.
And then comes the "QQ it's not on PC" argument. Neither were ANY of the GTA games since GTA III, dig? They were always released around 6 months later on PC. This is nothing new, and I don't see this as "fucking" the PC user-base.

 

[Matthi205]

shut up about the pc port, they are not doing it right away because they want to see big numbers on release, and as much as i hate the argument about piracy, if there was a pc port, it would be on the Internets the day before release somehow, and it would take a bite out of the first day/week/month sales.

The budget is big because they are licensing music, as well as months worth of voice acting for the game as well as the in game radio, the budget is big because this is going to be a big game, with a big world.

Shut up already. Consoles don't account for the kinds of numbers they want to sell. Now you're probably going to give the CoD example. I know tons of people that play CoD on PC, some even owning a console.
Not releasing a PC version together with the console version is just plain stupid, no way around that. There's no way GTA V is going to sell this many copies without a PC version. It just isn't possible. There are non-gamers that like to play GTA, and they don't even own a console. Yet they still seem excited about GTA V. They got to know GTA through GTA:SA and had tons of fun playing it on whatever PC they had (HINT: The installed userbase for PCs is nothing short of ridiculous: over a billion). I don't see those people ever buying a console just to play one game from time to time.

As for how many people with modded consoles I know: about 50-60 off the top of my head. It's pretty rare NOT to have a modded console - if you own a console - in this country.

Rockstar will make this back several times over. My biggest guess at the development cost are server farms for GTA online and the creation, modification and optimization of the game engine.

A) Server farms, no matter how costly, only add up to about 5-10 million, tops. And that's if you buy from IBM and take their POWER7+ lineup of processors, octa-core exclusively and look for quite the server farms.
B) Optimisation of the engine to existing consoles might have been going on, but it only takes tons of time and testing. You can't just throw more money at it and get it done faster with more people. Just doesn't work. You can have more testers, but there's a limit to how many are useful here too.

 

[Floppertje]

I don't really doubt that they'll hit the 25 million sales, but wouldn't they get there without spending so much money? I mean... there's a limited amount of people who are potentionally going to buy it and once you hit the top of that, spending more money isn't going to result in more sales I think, with the series' popularity, they've already overshot that point. everyone who wants it is probably already going to get it. wouldn't it therefore be smarter to go a little more low-budget and thus make more money?

 

[Lictor Face]

On a seperate note, all of you saying that ROckstar is somehow gonna lose money, despite this large investment. PUH fuckin' LEASE, alright? This shit is gonna sell like hot cakes, and you know it. There is no doom in sight for the behemoth that is Rockstar.

No one is saying that if GTA V flops, it will be a be all end all scenario. What it could be however, is possibly the first nail in the coffin for Rockstar's future triple A franchises.

274 million is an OBSCENE amount of cash to invest into a single video game. There have been gaming companies that have fucked themselves with video games that cost significantly less money.

GTA V might be a "shit-twinkie" so to speak. Tonnes of people buy twinkies. They get home and bite into it expecting a mouthful of sugary goodness. What they find is instead a load of shit. So they stop buying twinkies from that company. Maybe giving up twinkies forever in favor of chocolate bars or something.

Of course it will sell like hot cakes. DA2 and TW:Rome2 sold like hot cakes didn't it? At least for the first three weeks or so anyway....

 

[Shadow-Phoenix]

That's a hell of a lot of money for just one game but can see Rockstar making their money back via the pre-orders and purchases made.

Still I can't help but laugh at the PC only people telling Rockstar to go fuck itself because there's no port for them.

Either get a console or sit back and wait in line.

I can pretty much expect someone who's PC only in this thread to quote me out of anger and I know this because any civil person would not take my last line to heart and just let it pass by.

Of course this is the Escapist though where PC only people will gladly shit on Nintendo threads positive or negative but when PC is mentioned in a negative light then it becomes end game.

 

[beez]

Well, even if they don't move 25 million copies the first year, GTA IV made 500 000 000 mill on the first week. And don't forget that it held the records before CoDMW2 took its place. Analysts are always retarded, they predicted a lot of weird things down the line, but GTA IV sold 25 million by 2012. I wouldn't worry about the end of the franchise any time soon. As long as it performs similarly to its predecessor and they make their investments back. I'm not worried.

 

[MrBaskerville]

I kinda hope it bombs, just think how big a shift that could cause in the industry, maybe it's exactly what we need to make things interesting again. Though it's obviously going to sell like hotcakes and the media will call it the greatest achievment in human history, like they usually do wit GTA titles, no matter how broken they are.
Aside from that, i think the game looks pretty boring and the character models are some of the worst i've seen in a while, just looks sterile and dead (like L.A. Noire), no personality whatsoever.

 

[blackrave]

If EA spent so much money on DS3 they would have demanded 5 billion sold copies.