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‘GTA Online’ will shut down on PS3 and Xbox 360 on December 16th
'Max Payne 3' multiplayer is also going away on those consoles.
'Grand Theft Auto V' comes to PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 11th
'Grand Theft Auto V' and 'GTA Online' will be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on November 11th.
Rockstar temporarily closes online games in support of Black Lives Matter
The publisher is taking the games offline for two hours 'in honor of George Floyd.'
Rockstar doles out freebies to 'GTA Online' and 'Red Dead Online' players
Rockstar's multiplayer games apparently had a banner holiday, and the company is using that as an excuse to hand out goodies to players (and, conveniently, give them a reason to keep playing). GTA Online gamers will get $1 million in virtual currency if they play before February 5th, and can receive another $1 million more if they sign on between February 6th and February 12th. Red Dead Online players, meanwhile, can pick up a "Gunslinger's Cache" with guns and ammo by February 3rd, or a "Bounty Hunter's Kit" (with a license and gear) between February 4th and February 10th.
Take-Two profits soar thanks to 'GTA' and 'Red Dead' online spending
Need further proof that Rockstar's online games are the cornerstone of its business these days? You just got it. Publisher Take-Two has reported that its profit jumped 39 percent year-over-year in the spring quarter to a hefty $540.5 million, and the in-game purchases for Rockstar's titles played a large role. Company chief Strauss Zelnick told Hollywood Reporter that GTA Online "actually grew" versus 2018, while Red Dead Online's early performance has "exceeded expectations." Games like NBA 2K19, the Borderlands series and Civilization VI helped, but it's no secret as to which ones were the biggest cash cows.
'Red Dead Online' is growing faster than 'GTA Online'
Now that Red Dead Online has had several months to build an audience, how is it faring? Quite well, apparently. During an earnings call, Take-Two chief Strauss Zelnick stated that the Red Dead Redemption 2 multiplayer component was "performing better" than GTA Online was at a similarly early point in its history. He didn't elaborate on the criteria (users? Money generated?), but it's a good sign for the company when GTA Online is still considered the cash cow.
GTA 5 adding first-person vehicle view on PC, next-gen
A since-pulled support article on Rockstar's website points to some new features for Grand Theft Auto 5 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. According to the article, seen above, the revised versions of GTA 5 will feature a first-person mode for vehicles "that shows the interior of the vehicle, including working speedometers, tachometers, dash lights, and more." The game will also include a first-person mode "while on foot." Rockstar plans to offer an "overhauled character selection screen" as well as new Easter eggs and random events for the game's story mode. The developer noted that new animals will appear in the city of Los Santos, and appears to be determining whether animals will also appear in the game's online modes. Lastly, it added that players transferring characters from the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game will receive "new weapons and a free garage in GTA Online." GTA 5 will reach PS4 and Xbox One on November 18 and launch on PC in 2015. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Red Dead Redemption rides again in latest GTA Online jobs
In its latest round-up of noteworthy, fan-crafted jobs found within Grand Theft Auto Online, the Rockstar Games blog pays tribute to the developer's classic 2010 western action-adventure Red Dead Redemption. Included in today's list are ten jobs inspired by and seeking to reimagine Red Dead Redemption within the engine that powers Grand Theft Auto 5. The PlayStation 3's "Grab The Bag" job recreates the Red Dead Redemption multiplayer mode of the same name where four teams compete for control of a bag by gunning one another down. "Tall Trees," by contrast, lifts its setting from a popular Red Dead Redemption hunting area, but in lieu of hunting bears and cougars, players take part in a deathmatch armed exclusively with pistols and shotguns. For full details on all ten jobs and links to where you can download the maps for your own enjoyment, click through to Rockstar's website. [Image: Rockstar Games]
10 new Rockstar Verified Jobs in GTA5 (That's What She Said)
We're probably not using that joke correctly. "That's What She Said" is one of the new Rockstar Verified Jobs in Grand Theft Auto Online. It's a Race for Sports Cars dealio featuring a broken-down trainyard and a "final huge leap from the freeway back to the finishing line," as Rockstar describes it. That's What She Said joins nine other new jobs in today's update. Jobs include the racers Code 13-91, Rebel Rodeo, Brand's Snatch, Hit the Apex, Tittie Twister and That's What She Said, plus the capture maps Hold: Operation Interrupt and Raid: Claustrophobia, and deathmatches Urban Jungle and Rail Yard, Railed Out. Read run-downs of the new jobs on the Rockstar Newswire. [Image: Rockstar]
Rockstar apologizes for Online Heists delay in GTA Online
The Online Heists feature was supposed to hit Grand Theft Auto Online in the spring, but it's nearly summer and no dice. Fans have been clamoring for the co-op mission madness of Online Heists, and Rockstar addressed those cries in a comment on the "I'm Not a Hipster" update post: "We know many fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of the Online Heists that we had planned to release for you this spring, and they are taking more time to create than originally anticipated. We are very sorry for the delay, and are working hard to bring them to you as soon as we can. Please know that we are focused as always on making the best possible content for you to play and we are thankful to all of you for your patience, understanding and support. Stay tuned for more information on that as well as lots of other ongoing content updates, enhancements and additions to the world of GTA Online that are on the way." There's no word yet on when exactly the feature will be implemented, but it sounds like the team at Rockstar is making it one of their heist priorities. [Image: Rockstar]
Take-Two makes it rain $1 billion more in fiscal 2014
Take-Two reported net revenue of $2.35 billion for fiscal 2014 (the year ending March 31, 2014), a 94 percent growth from its reported revenue of $1.21 billion in 2013. It also reported a net income of $361.7 million, which compares rather favorably to the net loss of $31.2 million it suffered last year. As of the end of fiscal 2014, Take-Two had "cash and cash equivalents of $935.4 million," plenty to make it rain a few times. As for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, Take-Two's net revenue was $195.2 million, a 34.8 percent decrease compared to the same quarter last year ($299.5 million). It also reported a net loss of $30.8 million for the quarter, which compares to the net gain of $21.2 million reported in Q4 2013. The publisher's digitally-delivered revenue increased 65 percent year-over-year to $435.1 million on a non-GAAP basis (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). In its earnings call, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick noted that Grand Theft Auto Online was the "single largest contributor" to the company's digital revenue growth. Take-Two also reported that it has shipped 33 million copies of GTA 5 to date. Looking ahead to the next fiscal year (ending March 31, 2015), Take-Two projects its non-GAAP net revenue to fall between $1.35 billion and $1.45 billion, and anticipates its net revenue between $120 million and $135 million for the next quarter, also on a non-GAAP basis.
Live the High Life in GTA Online next week
Come May 13, Grand Theft Auto Online will receive the long-awaited High Life DLC update, an addition that will allow players to go from well-heeled criminals to small time real estate barons. Alongside new weaponry, vehicles and clothing options, High Life adds additional high-end apartments to the multiplayer world of GTA Online. If you already own a virtual base of operations, don't worry: The High Life update also introduces multiple property ownership. Granted, this only expands the number of possible properties a player can own to two, but that's still a 100 percent improvement over the previous system, and should save players a lot of time that would otherwise be spent driving across town to their sole safehouse. Finally, the High Life update adds a "Mental State" stat to the GTA Online user interface. Think of "Mental State" as a running counter of just how antisocial your avatar has been in GTA Online. As this stat is public and attached to every player, it should provide ample warning if you join a server full of griefers who've spent hours gunning down anyone foolish enough to spawn within their virtual world. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Double your cash in Grand Theft Auto Online this weekend
To prepare players for the new weapons, vehicles and clothes coming to Grand Theft Auto Online in the High Life Update, Rockstar Games has decided to boost cash and reputation point awards for the next two days. From now until midnight, Eastern Time on Saturday, all jobs and activities in Grand Theft Auto Online will award double cash and reputation points. This includes running the game's storyline missions, rounds of Team Deathmatch and even just evading the cops long enough to lose your wanted level. Basically, anything you do over the next two days that could qualify as a scene from a Michael Mann film will be rewarded with copious virtual cash and online infamy. Grand Theft Auto Online fans would do well to take advantage of this generous outpouring. The aforementioned High Life Update will grant players the ability to own more than one piece of real estate, so while we still don't know when exactly that DLC will arrive, it seems a prudent time to start hoarding ill-gotten funds. [Image: Rockstar Games]
Co-op heist missions coming to Grand Theft Auto Online this Spring
This morning, Rockstar Games unveiled a look at the content headed for Grand Theft Auto Online in the near future. By the end of Spring, the game should boast new weapons, player-crafted Capture Jobs and new co-op heist missions. Come next week, Rockstar plans to drop the first update which will add Capture Jobs to the crime-ridden online multiplayer game. According to Rockstar, players will be able to customize these Capture Jobs by placing weapons, ammo and other miscellaneous items as they please, then share the results with the rest of the Grand Theft Auto Online community. Following that addition, Rockstar will deliver the "High Life Update," a DLC pack that introduces new weapons, vehicles, clothing options and two new gameplay functions. Once installed, the High Life Update will allow players to own multiple properties in Grand Theft Auto Online, while the new Mental State statistic will keep a running tally of just how sociopathic your avatar has been within the virtual world. Finally, Rockstar mentions the upcoming Heist missions. Scant details are available, but the developer claims players will be able to join forces with others, either random online players or members of their crew, to pull off complicated, co-operative theft assignments. More details on this particular update are said to be coming soon. [Image: Rockstar Games]
GTA Online Valentine's Day Massacre brakes hearts on Friday
It's almost Valentine's Day, so polish your guns, stock up on ammo and make sure your ride is bullet-proof. That's how this day works, right? It certainly does in Grand Theft Auto Online: The Valentine's Day Massacre update hits for free on Friday, February 14, featuring lovely new items for Story Mode and Online. Valentine's Day Massacre adds a new weapon, vehicle, clothes and 10 new jobs. The Gusenberg Sweeper machine gun will be available at the Ammu-Nation store in Online and automatically deposited into inventories in Story Mode. The new vehicle, the Albany Roosevelt, is an armored 1920s limo available in any garage in Story Mode and from the Legendary Motorsport in-game website in Online. New attire is flapper-themed, and new jobs include Deathmatches, a new Parachute Jump and new Races. And yes, "brakes" is spelled that way on purpose. [Image: Rockstar]
Grand Theft Auto 5 ships 32.5 million copies
The total number of Grand Theft Auto 5 copies Take-Two has shipped to date now exceeds 32.5 million. The number comes from the company's fiscal third quarter 2014 earnings report, in which it declared its money-making game the "best-selling video game of 2013," citing data from NPD. By comparison, the publisher also noted the entire NBA 2K series has shipped 35 million units to date. The number of copies shipped by Take-Two doesn't precisely indicate the number sold to customers, of course. GTA 5 has sold well regardless, earning an estimated $1 billion for the publisher in its first three days at retail. It sold 3.67 million copies at retail in the UK in 2013, leading all games in the region.
Rockstar verifies ten more fan-crafted jobs for GTA Online
Another month, another chance for Rockstar games to highlight ten of the best community creations found in Grand Theft Auto Online by adding them to the ranks of the "Rockstar Verified." Five of these newly verified jobs are the result of an event Rockstar held in late December that sought to reward the best community creations with a unique license plate and $1 million of in-game currency. The list of winners includes a shotgun-pocked deathmatch arena in the middle of the desert, a GTA Online remake of the famous Laguna Seca racetrack and "4 Way Madness," a high-speed track that culminates in a wildly dangerous four-way jump. While the remaining additions to the Rockstar Verified roster will not earn their creators a fortune in virtual cash, they're no less intriguing. For example, "Twists And Twirls" is a picturesque race through the hills separating downtown Los Santos from the arid desert of Blaine County, while "Classy Construction" drops a gangwar into the game's most wealthy neighborhood Full details on each winning map can be found on the Rockstar Games Social Club along with all the information you'll need to play these new jobs in GTA Online.
GTA Online gets first Rockstar Verified jobs
Rockstar has released the first run of "Rockstar Verified" jobs for Grand Theft Auto Online, the multiplayer component of Grand Theft Auto 5. Chosen directly by Rockstar, these jobs represent some of the best content crafted by players using GTA Online's creation tools. All told, 10 jobs have been verified, including six races and four deathmatches. Their content ranges from rooftop races to full-on military vehicle shootouts. The jobs were culled from both the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of GTA 5 but, as Rockstar notes, these jobs are available on both platforms now that they've been verified. Players can expect "many, many more" Rockstar Verified jobs in the future.
Infinite money exploit plagues GTA Online
Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto Online is beset with hackers flooding the game's economy with billions of ill-gotten dollars. Kotaku reports that a networking exploit leads to "infinite amounts of cash," and that dupers have taken to gifting huge windfalls to random players. This is of course problematic since Rockstar flags accounts "holding obscene amounts of money" during its banning sweeps. The company has yet to offer a comment on or a fix for the issue. Meanwhile, some players have taken to hard resetting their consoles so that the gifted money doesn't save.
PSA: Free deathmatch, race creation tools join GTA Online
Grand Theft Auto 5's open-world online component just grew a bit more creative with today's release of the Deathmatch & Race Creators Beta update. As we reported earlier, this patch adds a free toolset to Grand Theft Auto Online that allows players to build their own drag strips, killing fields and myriad other combinations of vehicles and explosives. Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Race, Rally Race and the weaponized GTA Race game types are available for players to modify. Developer Rockstar has included a tutorial that should load automatically the first time you attempt to build something within the toolset, and it "highly recommends" that players sit through the whole thing. From there however, you're free to build to your heart's content. Alongside the new toolset, today's free update also includes a "a host of new fixes and updates for Grand Theft Auto 5's Story Mode and GTA Online," including higher cash payouts in missions with increased difficulty, and an option to lock deathmatch games to specific weaponry.
