No one can argue that Grand Theft Auto as a franchise has probably had one of the biggest impacts on video games in the last few years, but has it run it’s course? Has Grand Theft Auto IV, although a monster of a title, waited too long to release their downloadable content? Many will say yes.
I think I will have to agree as well. Many gamers I have spoken to have not picked up GTA IV since the first few weeks it was released and just scrolling through my friends list on my Xbox 360 I see absolutely no one playing it still. GTA IV was released back in April of this year and we are not expecting the new DLC to be released until February 17 of next year, that is almost a year later. By this time gamers have moved on to other titles and forgotten the charm and appeal of GTA.
Recently Tracey John over at Multiplayer Blog showed a picture of 46 copies of GTA IV sitting on the shelves of her local Gamestop and asked a pivotal question
“Do these 46 gamers just not care about the upcoming DLC? Or did they not know about it? “
My thoughts are that those 46 gamers much like all of the gamers I have spoken with, including myself, played the title non-stop when it was released and then either beat the game or grew tired of it. Many gamers have done exactly this and gone ahead and exchanged their games for something newer and shiner. I doubt any of these 46 copies will be re-purchased by the same gamers again just for the DLC, they may end up in some others hands in order to try it, but the DLC is coming too little to late for a title that has already been forgotten.
To this gamer, the new fancy DLC that is scheduled to come early next year for GTA IV, will be a failure. What do you think?
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13 Comments
Write a Comment»I sold GTA to a friend for $35 so I don’t have it anymore.
I agree, the DLC should of came out around October to compete with Saints Row 2. There’s just too many good titles that were just released… Gears 2 takes up most of my time. I still have to beat FarCry 2 and DeadSpace.
i agree whole heartedly about them waiting far too long to release it, but maybe that was exactly the plan, look at it this way, the recent explosion of big name games has started to calm a little, so, now that Gears 2 campaign is finished, Mirrors Edge is done, Saints Row 2 is completed, etc etc, comes the GTA IV DLC … mmhmm, there’s no self respecting gamer on the face of planet that wouldn’t download it, to be honest, it will bring GTA fans back for a week or so, like a reunion.
i also think its too late. and if microsoft did infact pay the alledged $50million for the DLC i dont see them making it back. as said gamers would have moved on to other games by then
…and we all know that what you experience happens everywhere else.
How about you do a little more research before wasting my time.
I’m certain that’s about less than 1/20th of the games that were sold from that store. And even if they don’t make the $50mil back from the DLC, they’ve already profited more than enough from the original sales. No need to worry folks.
As for me, I’m going to get the DLC when it comes out. Regardless of the fact that I haven’t played GTAIV for about 2 months.
I’d expect a lot of new entrants to this gen will want to pick up GTA 4 for xmas, could be looking at another 500k x360 sales by the end of January. Also, let’s not forget just how many copies were sold. The hardcore may have sold on but that still leaves a helluva lot of copies out there.
I agree 10 months is too long to wait, but if we get a better quality end-product it’ll be worth it.
Perhaps they could have released interim DLC packs with new mission / race variations, or vehicles etc, just to tide us over and keep us interested while we wait for the more grandiose, story driven DLC we are going to be served up.
The reason why noone is buying it is cuz the only people that will buy DLC already have the game. No one is going to buy it jus for DLC, that is just stupidity!! Microsoft thought that people would but they are dumb, no one wants to buy DLC for it cuz GTAIV sucks compared to San Andreas, it being a multiplatform game ruined it for all of us. When it was a PS exclusive the game was the BEST no one can deny, but since its come out multiplatform it’s just been shite! I hope R* learn from this next time and not cater to xbox’s nonesense. Well I should actually say I hope TakeTwo learn, R* are PS lovers anyways.
In response to John’s comments:
Rockstar made it very clear shortly after the release of GTA: IV that they were unhappy about Microsoft’s decision to use last - gen technology (In this case, DVD9) for their storage media. They said that they struggled to fit GTA: IV on a single disc and were quoted as saying “Our games aren’t going to get any smaller”.
Basically they hinted at the fact that unless Microsoft are able to greatly improve their storage media for games (Adopting Blu - Ray or equivalent) then GTA: V would HAVE to be a PS3 exclusive simply because Microsoft’s machine wouldn’t be able to hold it.
Also, the option of using multiple discs for one game (Like what happened with Lost Oddysey and the Last Remnant) doesn’t quite work for an open - world game like GTA. I mean, if you had one half on NYC (Or wherever the next game will be held) on one disc and the other half on the other you’d have to switch discs every time you crossed a bridge, LMAO, you’d be there all day!!!
I think the main problem is that some people have already sold the game. Anyways, I’ll probably try to borrow GTA from a friend temporarily so that I can play this new story mode. Anyways, I think GTA IV is much better than GTA:SA was.
My order is:
GTA: Vice City
GTA 4
GTA 3
GTA: SA
Older GTA’s
i have not stop playing GTA4 and i doubt i will for the foreseeable future
i am going to get the DLC both episodes and most of my friends will has well why because we are not tiny brained people ADD wow gta4 thats coo look at the puppy
the real fans of the game will get the DLC and stop writting total crap for the sake of it
500k units sold? With the economy being down and the abundant amount of new games, I highly doubt GTA IV will even make it close to those numbers.
“the real fans of the game will get the DLC and stop writting total crap for the sake of it”
Honestly dude it doesn’t matter. You can say the same thing like “Only the real fans of (insert name here) will buy (insert name here)”.
Lets say the game has a relative small fan base (UT3 for example). All that work that was put into the game only netted them 50K? copies which isn’t that much at all.
Fact of the matter is, it doesn’t matter if only the fans will buy it because even if they all buy it the expansion might still fail (I’m talking financially).