Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 5 is set to release in September for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It's an odd time considering these consoles' successors — the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, respectively — will launch shortly after. Why "settle" for current consoles when you have new power and excitement in new technology?
Although I've been holding out for some sort of next-gen announcement for GTA 5, it has yet to come; I'm starting to believe it won't. Like it or not, Grand Theft Auto 5 appears to be a current-gen console game only. And parent company Take-Two isn't concerned one bit. In fact, he doesn't think the release of next-gen consoles will hurt the game's sales at all.
"Grand Theft Auto 5 is the most highly anticipated release of our biggest franchise," Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told MCV. "It features the largest, most dynamic and most diverse open world Rockstar Games has yet created.
"The installed base of current generation consoles is estimated to be in excess of 120 million, and most of those consumers have been waiting for Grand Theft Auto 5 for years. Therefore, we expect there to be enormous consumer demand for Grand Theft Auto 5 regardless of when the next-generation consoles are released."
While I'm sure the Xbox One and PS4 will have plenty of early adopters when the systems launch, I doubt people will skip out on GTA 5 because it's on the outdated Xbox 360 and PS3. If those are the only systems it will be available on, those are the ones people will buy it for, regardless if next-gen consoles loom in the shadows. Remember, the Xbox One and PS4 don't yet have release dates. Even if they release in November, that's still a two-three month window for you to enjoy GTA 5 on your current system.
Do you plan on purchasing GTA 5 for Xbox 360 or PS3?
[MCV]
