Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Sales Exceed 12 Million Units

[hey69]

GTA: PSP is set for Q3, which is June-Aug timeframe. Warriors is going to the Xbox.

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. Reports First Quarter Fiscal 2005 Financial Results
Company Reports Record Quarterly Revenue Of $502.5 Million

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Sales Exceed 12 Million Units Since Launch

New York, NY - March 3, 2005 - Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO) today announced financial results for its first quarter ended January 31, 2005.

Net sales for the first quarter were $502.5 million compared to $375.5 million for the first quarter of fiscal 2004, an increase of 34%. Net income for the quarter rose to $55.2 million, a 74% increase from net income of $31.8 million during the same period last year. Diluted earnings per share of $1.19 increased 70% from $0.70 per diluted share in the prior year's first quarter.

Take-Two generated approximately $185 million in cash flow from operations in the quarter, bringing the Company's cash position to approximately $303 million as of January 31, 2005.

Take-Two attributed the sharply higher first quarter results primarily to continued strong consumer demand for its Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas title, as well as robust sales of the 2K Sports line of products and improved performance of the Company's Jack of All Games distribution business.

Guidance

Take-Two is updating its guidance for fiscal 2005 as follows:

* For the fiscal year ending October 31, 2005, $1.3 to $1.35 billion in net sales and $2.10 to $2.20 in diluted earnings per share.
* For the second quarter ending April 30, 2005, $200 to $210 million in net sales and a net loss per share of $(0.20).

Take-Two is issuing initial guidance for its third quarter of fiscal 2005 as follows:

* For the third quarter ending July 31, 2005, $220 to $240 million in net sales and $0.05 to $0.15 in diluted earnings per share.

The Company's diluted earnings/(loss) per share for all periods above do not include the impact of adopting FASB 123®, which requires the expensing of employee stock options.

Rockstar Games

Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, released in late October for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, was a significant contributor to the first quarter results. Created by the world-class developers Rockstar North, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the top performing product in Take-Two's publishing business in the quarter. According to NPDFunworldSM, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas was the top selling PlayStation 2 title in the United States in each of the four months since its release. The Company's life to date sales of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas through the end of the first quarter have exceeded 12 million units.

Rockstar has a strong product lineup planned for the balance of fiscal 2005, beginning with Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition, the third installment in the multi-million unit selling, genre-defining Midnight Club street racing franchise developed by Rockstar San Diego. The title is slated for release in April for PlayStation 2, Xbox® and the PSP™ handheld entertainment system.

Rockstar is introducing Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for Xbox and PC in the third quarter of fiscal 2005. Also planned for release in the third quarter is an all new Grand Theft Auto title, set in Liberty City, for the highly anticipated PSP handheld entertainment system.

The Warriorsâ„¢, a new Rockstar title based on the Paramount Pictures feature film, is now planned for release on both PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the fourth quarter. Rockstar also expects to publish a new console title from their internal studios in the fourth quarter, as well as introduce Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PlayStation 2 in Japan.

2K Games

During the quarter, Take-Two established the 2K Games publishing label and its sports division, 2K Sports, following the Company's acquisition of Visual Concepts and Kush Games, developers of the highly successful and critically acclaimed 2K series of simulation team sports games. Since the launch of the label in January, 2K Games has announced the following:

* Acquisition of rights to the multi-million unit selling Civilization PC strategy franchise and a long-term partnership with Civilization creator Sid Meier and his development studio FIRAXIS Games® beginning with the publishing rights to Civilization IV;
* A co-publishing agreement with Bethesda Softworks for The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion, the fourth title in the best-selling Elder Scroll series, along with Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth™;
* An agreement with SCi Games for North American publishing rights to Conflict: Global Terror, Carmageddon and Reservoir Dogs;
* A licensing agreement with WPT Enterprises for games based on their hit television show World Poker Tour®; and
* The exclusive third-party publishing rights for officially licensed Major League Baseball games.

2K Sports released College Hoops in the first quarter, followed by the second quarter release of Major League Baseball 2K5, both for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Other titles planned for second quarter release from 2K Games include Close Combat: First to Fight for Xbox and PC; Stronghold 2 for PC; and Ford Racing 3 for PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC. Third quarter releases include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on multiple platforms.

Jack of All Games

Jack of All Games' distribution business benefited in the quarter from holiday demand for value priced software products and newly released frontline software titles, although console hardware availability continued to be constrained.

Management Comments

Paul Eibeler, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Fiscal 2005 is off to a great start. We are extremely pleased with the continued success of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Rockstar's plans to extend the reach of this blockbuster title to multiple platforms and the Asian market later this year. Additionally, we have made significant progress in diversifying our business, building our product pipeline and adding to our sports game development capabilities. We will continue to leverage our internal resources and invest in new opportunities, including extending our content to new hardware platforms. With our strong performance in the first quarter and our rapidly expanding portfolio of proven franchises, new brands and licensed properties, Take-Two is positioned for significant annual growth."

 

[Jabjabs]

12 million units, that's to be expected. No big surprise there.

 

[Sonic]

I"m becomiung more and more impressed with Take Two. Does anyonme know the sales of Half Life 2 and Halo 2? These are the two titles I would have suspected would outdo GTA: A worldwide.

Take Two has really been getting good business wise and their games are nothing to scoff at either.

 

[Carl B]

I"m becomiung more and more impressed with Take Two. Does anyonme know the sales of Half Life 2 and Halo 2? These are the two titles I would have suspected would outdo GTA: A worldwide.

Take Two has really been getting good business wise and their games are nothing to scoff at either.

It's a pretty safe bet that it's beat Halo 2. As far as Half Life 2, the PC sales figures have always been a little bit more nebulous to me. Still, I would be surprised if it hasn't beat it as well.

 

[jvd]

Half life 2 wont outsell it , halo 2 might


Anyway take 2 better find another big tittle , soon gta will be ridden in the ground

 

[AlNom]

Halo 2 more than 12million?

I don't think so, and it's not just because that's about 60% of the total Xbox consoles sold

 

[jvd]

Halo 2 more than 12million?

I don't think so, and it's not just because that's about 60% of the total Xbox consoles sold

Its one of the biggest games out for that system. I think iit could out sell it

 

[Carl B]

Halo 2 more than 12million?

I don't think so, and it's not just because that's about 60% of the total Xbox consoles sold

Its one of the biggest games out for that system. I think iit could out sell it

I really really doubt it. But you're selling it short by saying it's one of the biggest games out for XBox. It IS the biggest game out for XBox!

 

[GwymWeepa]

Can anyone help me clear my foggy memory? Wasn't the creators of the GTA series DMA designs? And weren't they experimenting with the sort of open ended 3d gameplay with Body Harvest for the n64? If so, Nintendo should be kicking themselves repeatedly.

 

[Phil]

^^ as far as I remember, they were.

BTW; anyone else think this for the PSP would be a killer? When I think PSP, I would just love to have a Final Fantasy games, a GTA game... and yeah, racing. But yeah, definately a GTA game...

 

[jvd]

I really really doubt it. But you're selling it short by saying it's one of the biggest games out for XBox. It IS the biggest game out for XBox! Wink

well halo was really big

 

[Pozer]

Still Halo2 selling 5 million is more impressive than GTA:SA selling 12 million. or halflife 2 selling 5 million or heck even 20 million.

20mill Xboxs, 5 mill Halo2s = 25% attachment.
90mill ps2s, 12 million GTA:SA=15% attachment
500 million PC's, 5 Million HalfLife2s= 1% attachment

 

[Carl B]

Still Halo2 selling 5 million is more impressive than GTA:SA selling 12 million. or halflife 2 selling 5 million or heck even 20 million.

20mill Xboxs, 5 mill Halo2s = 25% attachment.
90mill ps2s, 12 million GTA:SA=15% attachment
500 million PC's, 5 Million HalfLife2s= 1% attachment

I think Halo 2 has probably broken 5 million by now. As for San Andreas, I think it's got a couple million more left to sell. I know I'll be picking mine up when it gets to $19.99.

But really attachment rate isn't what the point here is - though I do grant you that Halo 2 has the better. After all, really when you discuss attachment rates, I think in the case of XBox it's almost more appropriate to reverse it!

As in: Halo 2 sold 5 million copies, and the attachment rate of Halo 2 purchasers to new XBox's sold was 40%, or something like that.

I KNOW that Halo, and in it's footsteps Halo 2, are the reason for the majority of XBox's sold, either directly or indirectly. That's saying something.

But back to the topic at hand, San Andreas is making more money than Halo 2. Whether it's more impressive or not in terms of accomplishment I'm not sure is the relevant point.

 

[Fodder]

BTW; anyone else think this for the PSP would be a killer? When I think PSP, I would just love to have a Final Fantasy games, a GTA game... and yeah, racing. But yeah, definately a GTA game...

I was thinking a GTA game would actually suit the DS perfectly, use the top screen for a GTA3 style view, and the bottom for a map, a GTA1-top-down, HUD, store inventories, mission details, etc.

 

[Pozer]

But back to the topic at hand, San Andreas is making more money than Halo 2. Whether it's more impressive or not in terms of accomplishment I'm not sure is the relevant point.

good point. 12 million units x $50 = lots of clams..... thats maybe alot more impressive than attachment rates.

I KNOW that Halo, and in it's footsteps Halo 2, are the reason for the majority of XBox's sold, either directly or indirectly. That's saying something.

I don't get that myth. On alot of forums I always read Halo is the only reason people get xbox's. They're great games, but I never bought my xbox for Halo. I know you didn't mean it that way, but when Halo came out it did sell alot of xbox's. When Splinter Cell came out it did the same, and so did Ninja Gaiden, Fable, PGR1&2, DOA3:BV:U, Rainbow Six, Kotor and so on. I think each of the 3 systems having about the same amount of AAA quality games.

 

[bbot]

This Teamxbox article dated Jan. 20 says they sold 6.4 million copies of Halo 2 worldwide.

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/7496/Halo-2-Sells-64-Million-Units-Worldwide/

 

[Carl B]

But back to the topic at hand, San Andreas is making more money than Halo 2. Whether it's more impressive or not in terms of accomplishment I'm not sure is the relevant point.

good point. 12 million units x $50 = lots of clams..... thats maybe alot more impressive than attachment rates.

I KNOW that Halo, and in it's footsteps Halo 2, are the reason for the majority of XBox's sold, either directly or indirectly. That's saying something.

I don't get that myth. On alot of forums I always read Halo is the only reason people get xbox's. They're great games, but I never bought my xbox for Halo. I know you didn't mean it that way, but when Halo came out it did sell alot of xbox's. When Splinter Cell came out it did the same, and so did Ninja Gaiden, Fable, PGR1&2, DOA3:BV:U, Rainbow Six, Kotor and so on. I think each of the 3 systems having about the same amount of AAA quality games.

Well, I'm more of a business oriented person than maybe I am a gamer-oriented person, so I just follow the sales trends in that regard. I know there are a lot of people out there that bought their XBox for other reasons than Halo, BUT I think I could paint a fairly accurate picture for you detailing how XBox's very present existence is due to Halo having been a launch title.

As for Halo 2, it's a very interesting situation, because so much hype built up around the game that whether the kids knew it or not, parents felt that this was THE present to get them. And of course a lot of kids wanted it as well. The result? Not only blockbuster sales of Halo 2, btu XBox's almost everywhere in the country sold out in the retail channel ahead of Christmas. Halo 2.

Anyway, in a way I'm a living example. My roommate got Halo 2 as a present but had no XBox. First thing he did was go get that XBox.

 

[xmu]

BTW; anyone else think this for the PSP would be a killer? When I think PSP, I would just love to have a Final Fantasy games, a GTA game... and yeah, racing. But yeah, definately a GTA game...

Didn't Rockstar announce an "all-new" GTA based in Liberty City for the PSP a while back?

 

[Pozer]

Im really looking forward to the xbox GTA:SA release. My friend bought it for his ps2 but it wouldn't play correctly. It would play fine for a few moments but if you got into a car and tried to drive you would drive into nothing. No textures nothing. It would also happen if you ran somewhere. It was like you were running off the map. The street would disappear and everything. If you stood still for a few minutes the enviroment would eventually appear. I heard this has something to do with the way the game streams of the dvd. I guess his launch ps2 was a little long in the tooth. I came so close to pciking up a psTWO just for GTA:sa but I feel too guilty about getting a system this late in the cycle. Lots of good games I wanna check out like Rygar, Contra, Ghouls and Ghosts sequels, and bunch more. Oh yeah and Socom2 online. Maybe ps3 will enhance ps2 games with FSAA and some sort of Anistropic Texture technique. Of course Gamecube and re4 can be had for $100 with a trip to the local pawn shop. Arrghh need xbox2 screens to quench my thirst for this gen games.

 

[-tkf-]

Still Halo2 selling 5 million is more impressive than GTA:SA selling 12 million. or halflife 2 selling 5 million or heck even 20 million.

20mill Xboxs, 5 mill Halo2s = 25% attachment.
90mill ps2s, 12 million GTA:SA=15% attachment
500 million PC's, 5 Million HalfLife2s= 1% attachment

Here could be said something about how many AAA titles each platform has etc etc..

But i'm more curious as to have the actual tie in numbers are for each platform, it's been pretty hard to find anything on XBOX and GC.