Reasons why GTA 5 is the most successful title for Rockstar Games

Here is reasons why GTA 5 is the most successful title for Rockstar Games

GTA Online

Rockstar's decision to focus on the online multiplayer experience of GTA 5 paid off in a huge way, evidenced by the profits that the game has been turning on a yearly basis.

While the microtransaction model rakes in huge bucks on a daily basis, the real value of GTA Online lies in its title updates.

With each huge title update, GTA Online brings fans back to GTA 5 as they look to discover the new stuff that the game has to offer. Title updates change the game up in a massive way and provide a ton of value for both existing players and new players alike.

The popularity of Online does not seem to be waning as Rockstar has been hard at work providing quality content with each title update. If recent reports suggest anything, it is that GTA Online is perhaps one of the most profitable properties under the Rockstar banner

Multiple launches

Many often forget that GTA 5 was not meant for the PS4/Xbox One generation and was brought to newer consoles long past its initial release on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

While a re-launch of a next-gen version of the game doesn't necessarily always translate to more sales, given the popularity of GTA 5, that has always been the case.

The thing about Grand Theft Auto 5 is that it also shipped with GTA Online, which was, in many ways, an entire game in itself. Its title updates brought even more eyeballs to the game.

With GTA 5 set for another launch on next-gen consoles in the second half of 2021, it will be interesting to see what kind of numbers the game produces.

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Positive word of mouths

In many ways, GTA 5 represents the very best of AAA games: a $60 title that offers endless amounts of value and quality.

Given that it's been seven years since its launch, picking the game up for a much lower price is too good of a deal for any player to walk away from.

Rockstar Games is one of the few publishers that players can expect to put out great AAA releases each time. This sort of word of mouth does better marketing for the game than any number of beaming reviews.

Simply put, GTA 5 represents value-for-money unlike any other game from its time. It has aged extremely well and could even pass as a current-gen game, even though it came out in the PS3/Xbox 360 generation.

Streamer Paradise

When GTA 5 eventually came out for PC, the modding community was primed and ready to create all sorts of fascinating stuff. One of the biggest things to come out of the modding community is GTA RP (Roleplaying).

It is essentially a collection of mods unique to each server that offers its players an entirely new way to experience the game. Roleplaying has taken off in a massive way, and it even shot GTA 5 back onto the top of Twitch charts for a while.

Mods provide a great way for streamers and other content creators to make interesting content out of popular games. It can be argued that no other game (closest rival being Skyrim) is as fun with mods as GTA 5.

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Why Grand Theft Auto Is the Most Popular Game Franchise in the Western World

The Grand Theft Auto franchise is the highest rated in the entire games industry, according to Newzoo’s Game Franchise Consumer Insights service. It was rated 8/10 or higher by 82% of its players across the UK, US, Germany, and France and 10/10 by 40% of its players, beating off all the competition across the sector. The franchise is also the fifth most played for all gamers and the most popular title among male gamers, with 42% having played it in the last six months.

Unsurprisingly, Grand Theft Auto V (GTA V) is the crown jewel in the series and is the most played version of GTA by 63% of its fans. In addition, GTA as an entire franchise is improving; an astonishing 81% of players agree that the franchise still continues to improve over time.

But what is the secret behind its success? And how is the game still selling years after its launch? We took a closer look at our data to find out why.

GTA: the most popular franchise in gaming

As we’ve already mentioned, the Grand Theft Auto franchise is the highest rated franchise out of the 100 franchises we monitor. Despite strong showings from the likes of Zelda and Pokémon, GTA’s sky-high ratings have made it the most popular series in the industry.

GTA’s appeal is also not limited to players using a single device. Although the series is principally played on consoles, 20% of GTA gamers play a GTA game on a PC, 8% on a smart device, and 7% on a dedicated handheld device (for example, the PSP). This is because older titles in the GTA franchise have been successfully ported to every platform. Games like San Andreas, Vice City, and GTA III, which are each available as remasters on PC, console, and mobile, are still the current first choice of 20% of players.

GTA V and GTA San Andreas multiplayer have been permanent features in the ranking since september 2015 and in January, they held spots #10 and #9, respectively. This is important because it shows that GTA has appeal outside of its flagship title. As with other highly popular franchises, the series’ popularity is bolstered by the ease with which players can engage with it across platforms, something that is increasingly important in a progressively platform-neutral age.

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GTA V: getting better with age

Nevertheless, the good health of the GTA franchise is anchored around the extraordinary success of GTA V. Take Two’s recent financials showed that the game has now shifted more than 75 million copies worldwide and was bought more times in 2016 than in 2015 or 2014, figures that seemingly defy gravity.

Yet these numbers make perfect sense when we consider players’ opinion of the franchise. When we asked GTA players whether the game has improved since launch, more than 80% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement and only 4% disagreed. Despite having a boxed product price tag, players do not believe the franchise has aged badly. This is almost entirely down to the introduction of one new element to the series shortly after GTA V launched: GTA Online. The mode, which allows players to create their own avatar, indulge in heists with friends, and mess around in Los Santos, overcame initial launch hitches to become a consistent service that players loved. The effect of GTA Online can be seen in two ways.

The first is in revenue terms. Between October 2015 and October 2016, players responded to Rockstar’s consistent roll-out of new content by spending an estimated $700 million in-game on new weapons, cars, and other gear in GTA Online alone. More significantly for GTA V’s continued sales, GTA Online has provided a driver for players to buy new copies of the game. This can be seen in the number of players who engage with the series on different platforms.