In the 24-hours following the launch of Call of Duty: Ghosts the title has managed to bring in more than $1 billion in revenue through retail sales channels, breaking the record set by Grand Theft Auto 5 for reaching that same number in 3 days. The game’s publisher, Activision, has lifted the lid on first day sales figures in a publicly released press statement and announced that the whopping income has been accumulated through worldwide sales of the title into retail stores.
As pre-orderers of the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 get sweaty palms as the two machines' launch days draw ever closer, it's safe to saw that we're all very keen to get our hands on the new hotness from both Sony and Microsoft.
Although the launch of Grand Theft Auto has been, as recently confirmed by Guinness World Records, an unprecedented success by all accounts, it's fair to note that Rockstar's efforts to get GTA 5 Online up and running has been more than a struggle.
Even after a lengthy push-back that saw the initial Spring release wind up being delayed until September, we always knew Grand Theft Auto 5 was going to be a success story. What we were not perhaps aware of, however, was just how successful, and in counting up some of the numbers just a few weeks after the initial launch, we can now say unequivocally that GTA 5 is by far the biggest title to launch on any digital platform. Ever.
Grand Theft Auto 5 has taken the gaming world by storm, and although we've seen Call of Duty break records on an annual basis in what was becoming a one-horse race, Take Two/ Rockstar's long-awaited title has eclipsed the opening numbers of any previous CoD release. As stores continue to replenish their supplies, the game's creators have begun rolling out the online multiplayer functionality. As you might expect given the scale of the operation, there seem to be a few glitches with the service, but the take-home is that GTA Online is now in motion for both Xbox Live and Sony's PlayStation Network.
Playing games on a PlayStation 3 or PC is great fun using a game controller like the Dual Shock 3 from Sony, but inputting data like usernames, passwords or messages to friends using the controller and an on-screen keyboard is no fun at all. Yes there are chatpads and keyboards available with an aim of making getting words onto the screen less of a chore, but that's further expense that in this day and age we can all do without. But, as is always the case, there's another way to achieve the same goal without spending a penny.
With all the news being taken up with Apple and its almost impossible to find smartphones, it's easy to forget that there were other big releases this week. Just days before the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c went on sale, arguably the biggest gaming release of the year happened.
In the gaming industry, we've become accustomed to Call of Duty taking the crown as the biggest selling game year in, year out. But while we still await the impact of Call of Duty: Ghosts - set for release on November 5th - Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 5 has already staked a claim to be this year's biggest blockbuster; grossing an eye watering $800m in just one day. To put things into perspective somewhat, last year's release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 made a paltry-by-comparison $500m, so, as some correctly predicted, Grand Theft Auto 5 is the fastest-selling game of all time.
Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto 5 is certainly one of the most eagerly anticipated releases of the current generation of game consoles, and with time running out before the next round of consoles are released it's unlikely we'll see many more big releases hitting the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. It's not long until the latest GTA game arrives on the scene, and because of that Sony has been allowing PS3 owners to pre-download the title to their consoles, ready for playing on day one. It's something Steam has done for years, and the aim is to try and avoid the download servers going into meltdown on release day, and it usually works.
Rockstar Games has been steadfast in its releasing of screenshots and teaser trailers for its upcoming Grand Theft Auto 5, and with just a couple of weeks left until the eagerly awaited retail date, the developer-publisher has come through with another bundle of snaps demonstrating some of the sumptuous scenery. Rockstar has already familiarized us with virtually every facet of the game including the characters, missions, weapons, vehicles, and even the GTA 5 online gameplay trailer, but these screenshots simply focus on the two main aspects of every GTA title: Crime and Leisure.
