GTA 5: how to survive three generations of consoles

GTA 5: how to survive three generations of consoles

As you surely know, last June Sony unveiled its new console with great fanfare, PlayStation 5. The presentation took place through an online event (who will read us in the future will remember the difficulty these days in organizing a live event) emblematically called "The Future of Gaming". Before unveiling the futuristic design of the PlayStation 5, some trailers of the games that will be available on the next-gen console were shown. We followed the live broadcast of the event and when the logo appeared Rockstar Games our heart started beating faster, accompanied by these thoughts: “What ?! Red Dead Redemption 3? No, too soon. Bully 2? Finally! GTA? Yes, maybe it's time! ”. Our enthusiasm and expectations couldn't fade faster than in front of the trailer for GTA 5.



Well yes, Great Theft Auto V, the title launched for the first time 7 years ago, on September 13, 2013, for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. I still remember those days, so much was expected from the new game developed by Rockstar North. After GTA 4, a somewhat sluggish chapter released in 2008, again for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, there were many expectations towards GTA 5, which marked the return to the city of Los Santos, a location in the hearts of players linked to GTA San Andreas (2004). Needless to say, GTA 5 did not disappoint expectations at all: crazy gameplay, compelling story and many innovations, including the immediate exchange between the three protagonists. The game set a new standard and, along with Red Dead Redemption 2, another Rockstar Games title, is certainly among the best games of this generation, perhaps ever.



GTA 5: how to survive three generations of consoles

Let's give in numbers

The title, published by Rockstar Games, has seen the collaboration of more than 1000 people, with a declared cost of about 265 million dollars (among the most expensive ever, so far), practically equal to a blockbuster movie. Has the investment paid off? I would say yes: more than 120 million copies sold from 2013 to today (translated into dollars: more than 7 billion), with an annual average of 15 million copies. Surely the online component, full of continuous free updates, has guaranteed a strong longevity. To take a recent example, when epic Games over the course of a week, it made the purchase of GTA 5 free in its Store, generated a 245% increase in PC gamers, and saw the number of users who purchased additional content doubled within. GTA Online.

So far we have talked about the numbers, which are the same ones that the managers of Rockstar Games will have seen, cheerfully toasting during the meetings. According to the results, we can assume that the release of GTA 5 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S could generate another wagon of dollars in the coffers of the US company. As players, however, we are a bit embittered by this decision because we cannot think of offering the same game indefinitely that, despite the highly respectable graphic upgrade, it still remains the same game.

The story of a success

GTA 5: how to survive three generations of consoles

The saga born in 1997 has so far seen the creation of 7 main chapters. Until 2013, with the release of GTA 5, the time span between the release of one title and the other was on average 3 years, progressively increased with the last chapters: between the release of GTA Sant Andreas and GTA 4 took 4 years and from the chapter starring Nico Bellic to the last we waited another 5 years. Surely the development of video games, especially triple A, today takes much more time but, 7 years after the release of GTA 5, we cannot think that the big announcement could be the revival of the same title for next-gen consoles. Probably what pushes the software house not to devote itself to the development of a new chapter is the Online component: constantly used by millions of players, it suggests that there is no need for a new story but only for periodic additional contents that not only encourage the players not to lose interest in the title but guarantees a constant income balanced by a significant amortization of costs.



As a strategy, it disappoints us a bit because for us Rockstar Games represents a spearhead of the industry, both for the quality of the titles made and for the fundamental contribution given to the history and culture of videogames. We must not forget that video games are not only a pastime but also an art form and as much as it is right to continue to guarantee even new players the opportunity to enjoy such an important title, it is also right to give new stories, new reflections, new fun. . Recently, news broke that Rockstar North is working on a title VR AAA but to date we still don't know if it's GTA V again or maybe the long-awaited one GTA 6 or - very unlikely - a new IP. We sincerely hope that Rockstar Games can make us change our skepticism, we would be the first to cheer!


add a comment of GTA 5: how to survive three generations of consoles
Comment sent successfully! We will review it in the next few hours.