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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]
GTA V will survive GameSpy's server shutdown, but Rockstar's older games aren't as lucky
Since GameSpy announced that it was shuttering its online mulitplayer services come May 31st, a few companies have adressed how their respective legacy games would keep functioning in the future. Rockstar Games has recently come out with its two-years-in-the-making solution, and, well, there's a direct relationship between how old a game is and the number of features it'll lose. With last year's Grand Theft Auto V, there's nothing to worry about -- it's business as usual for players as the outfit converts to its own system for hosting online services like multiplayer and progression tracking. Internet play will remain intact for Red Dead Redemption (posse up!) and Grand Theft Auto IV, but online stat-tracking and leaderboards -- and "in-game Social Club services," for the former -- hosted via the Rockstar Social Club won't.
2K's Zelnick: 70% of connected GTA5 players play GTA Online
Over 70 percent of players fired up Grand Theft Auto 5's multiplayer GTA Online component in the months after the game's initial release, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick told Fox Business in an interview this week. "Just a few years ago when we put out a product, no matter how big, when we put out a hit we collected our money, we went onto the next," Zelnick said, addressing GTA Online's microtransaction-driven revenue model. "Now what we're finding is we're creating recurrent consumer spending and we have the gift that keeps on giving. I talked about that when we took over Take-Two six years ago. It's nice to see it coming true." Grand Theft Auto 5 shipped 32.5 million units worldwide as of February, and earned over $1 billion in revenue during its three days at retail. Developer Rockstar Games continues to support GTA Online with frequent content updates, and a new job creation system is set to launch this Friday. [Image: Rockstar]
Capture new job creation tools in GTA Online this Friday
Rockstar will launch the capture jobs creation system in GTA Online this Friday, April 11 and is offering a rewards boost in select online missions until then. Starting Friday, Grand Theft Auto 5 players can use the GTA Online Creator Tool to build missions using one of four capture job variants: Contend, GTA, Hold or Raid. For those unfamiliar, Rockstar describes the capture jobs as a "GTA twist on classic capture the flag style confrontations." To get players accustomed to the job style's unique brand of action, the developer upped the reward levels for all official capture jobs in GTA Online. Until Friday, jobs like "GTA: All Abhorred" and "Raid: High Road" will earn players double the GTA$ and RP. [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]
Grand Theft Auto 5's iFruit rolls up on Vita
The iFruit companion app for Grand Theft Auto 5 is available now as a free download on Vita, allowing players to interact with the PS3 game via the Sony handheld. Those exploring Los Santos on PS3 can use the app to create and customize cars for use in the main game. They can also look after Franklin's mutt Chop in Tamagotchi-style activities, and in doing so nurture the Rottweiler so that in the game proper he's more helpful to his master. You'd think GTA 5 news related to the Vita might be more groundbreaking six months after the PS3 and Xbox 360 game hit shelves - then again, it was April Fools yesterday. [Image: Rockstar]
PSN Spring Fever franchise deals include Call of Duty, GTA
If the seven games debuting on PSN this month at discounted rates don't spice up Sony's Spring Fever sale enough for your liking, the sale will also include sales on four different franchises. Games and DLC in the Call of Duty, Need for Speed, BioShock and Grand Theft Auto series are on sale at varying points in March for all PSN users. The sale spans five games in the Need for Speed series, each down to $9.99 ($5 for PS Plus subscribers) tomorrow through March 10. Those games include Need for Speed: Most Wanted on both PS3 and Vita, Hot Pursuit on PS3, The Run on PS3 and Carbon on PSP and Vita. The Call of Duty series continues on March 11 through March 17 and features a variety of game and DLC bundles for Modern Warfare, Modern Warfare 2, Modern Warfare 3, Black Ops and Black Ops 2. Both Black Ops games can be purchased together for $69.99 ($62.99 on PS Plus) as well as all three Modern Warfare games for $64.99 ($58.49 for PS Plus members). Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series rolls in next on March 18 with sales lasting through March 24. The sale knocks GTA 5 down to $39.99, GTA 4 to $5.99 ($4.79 on PS Plus) as well as a handful of other PS3 and PSP games in the series ranging from $5.99 each ($4.79 for PS Plus) to $2.99 each ($2.39 on PS Plus). Lastly, the first two games in the BioShock series will also be $9.99 ($5 for PS Plus members) March 25 through March 31. Those games are joined by BioShock Infinite's Burial at Sea Episode 1 DLC for $10.40 ($7.34 on PS Plus) as well as Columbia's Finest Pack and Clash in the Clouds for $3.49 each ($2.44 on PS Plus). [Image: Rockstar Games]
Rockstar Games to receive 'wholly deserved' BAFTA fellowship
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced plans to award a fellowship to Rockstar Games for its contributions in bringing video games to the mainstream, and more specifically, for its wildly successful, critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto franchise. "It is hugely exciting to be able to recognize the amazing contribution made by Rockstar to the games industry over the past 16 years," stated Harvey Elliott, chair of the BAFTA Games Committee. "The creativity and passion exhibited by the Rockstar teams have inspired a generation of game developers to raise the bar in every aspect of game development. From design and mechanics, through to storytelling, cinematics and audio immersion, and in the process creating games that compete so profoundly on a global stage across all entertainment media." "We have long believed in the potential for videogames to become a new form of cultural expression and worked to show that in our games, so for us accepting the BAFTA Fellowship is incredibly humbling," said Rockstar co-founder Sam Houser, who now joins Shigeru Miyamoto and Will Wright on the short list of gaming industry figures to receive BAFTA fellowships. The British Academy Games Awards is scheduled to take place on March 12 in London. Those interested in attending can purchase tickets from BAFTA, while the rest of us will have to settle for streaming the show on Twitch. [Rockstar Games]
GTA Online giving you 'The Business' on March 4
Grand Theft Auto 5's "The Business Update" has been entered in the Excel sheet for a March 4 formulation on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. The update includes three new sports cars, two new guns (heavy pistol and special carbine, pictured), along with new clothing that's appropriate for the boardroom or the champagne room. This is also the last chance to get the items from the Valentine's Day Massacre Special, which will no longer be available this Sunday, March 2. So, get in gear, heartbreaker. [Image: Rockstar]
New GTA Online 'Verified Jobs' race around Nurburgring
Rockstar has added another ten jobs to GTA Online's list of multiplayer to-dos today, one of them being an impressive recreation of the famous German race track, Nürburgring. "Verified Jobs" are custom multiplayer match types, created by the community and hand-selected by Rockstar developers. Players create these custom Jobs using GTA Online's creation tools, introduced in late December to both Xbox 360 and PS3. Creation tools are currently limited, and only support race and deathmatch variants. Rockstar plans to expand GTA Online's creation system soon, and expects to add co-op heists some time this year. [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]
GTA Online gets 10 new Rockstar Verified jobs, social cap up to 1,000
Rockstar has added 10 new verified jobs to Grand Theft Auto Online, introducing a variety of community-sourced challenges to Grand Theft Auto 5's multiplayer component. New job offerings range from laid-back beach races to chaotic deathmatch challenges dotted throughout Los Santos. The latest job postings also introduce "Long Haul 2," a 12-minute endurance race that debuts as the longest Rockstar Created or Rockstar Verified Job released in GTA Online to date. Rockstar additionally upped its Social Club Crew member limit from 300 to 1,000 this week, allowing more players to partner up for Reputation Points bonuses and unique team-based challenges. [Image: Rockstar]
Grand Theft Auto 4 and 5 discounted on Xbox Live this week
Rockstar's open-world epics Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto 4 are on sale as part of this week's series of exclusive deals for Xbox Live Gold members. Gold subscribers can currently pick up the digital version of GTA5 for $40.19, while GTA4 can be had for a mere $9.99. Grand Theft Auto 4's DLC episodes are also on sale this week. The Lost and Damned is up for grabs at $4.99, while The Ballad of Gay Tony is $7.99 through next Monday. Xbox One owners looking to score a deal this week can pick up Twisted Pixel's LocoCycle for $9.99 -- a permanent drop from its original asking price of $19.99. [Image: Rockstar]
Grand Theft Auto 5 is the best-selling game of 2013
Between a $1 billion debut and rave reviews, it's probably not a huge shock to you that Grand Theft Auto 5 was the best-selling game of 2013. Regardless, Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive confirmed suspicions today in its financial earnings release. "Grand Theft Auto V finished as the best-selling video game of 2013," the release states, attributing that claim to NPD. "To date, Grand Theft Auto V has sold-in more than 32.5 million units." Even with the game's mass popularity and somewhat staid approach to world-building, we can't help but commend Rockstar Games on the achievement -- we loved our time in GTA5's single-player and (occasionally troubled) online worlds. Now all we can do is hope for an even prettier version on these new game consoles (or PC, for that matter) in 2014, though we don't expect a repeat performance in the "best-selling game" category. Let's not get too crazy.
Take-Two revenue nears $2 billion in Q3 2014 because GTA5
Take-Two's GAAP net revenue was $1.86 billion in Q3 2014, up from $415.77 million in Q3 2013 and led by sales of Grand Theft Auto 5, NBA 2K14 and WWE 2K14, the company reported today. Though Grand Theft Auto 5 launched during Q2 2014, Take-Two pushed its results to Q3, citing the later launch of Grand Theft Auto Online. Grand Theft Auto 5 has shipped 32.5 million copies and NBA 2K14 has shipped more than 5 million copies, making it 2K's most successful basketball game to date. Take-Two's net revenue got a kick from digital content sales, a segment that grew 42 percent year-over-year to $132.8 million (in non-GAAP terms). Digital sales were boosted mainly by Borderlands 2, BioShock Infinite, and the Grand Theft Auto and NBA 2K franchises, Take-Two reported. There's no mention of Grand Theft Auto 5 for PC or next-gen consoles in Take-Two's statement, but CEO Strauss Zelnick said there's more news to come: "Looking ahead, we have a robust pipeline of both new intellectual properties and offerings from our proven franchises in development, including more than 10 unique titles for the next-generation consoles."
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.
Grand Theft Auto Online class-action lawsuit dismissed
A class-action lawsuit filed against Rockstar Games and Take-Two has been dismissed by a US District Court in California today, Game Politics reports. The plaintiffs in the class-action suit argued that Rockstar and Take-Two failed to deliver the full, promised Grand Theft Auto 5 experience – specifically, the online portion of the game, GTA Online. The suit claimed the state of Grand Theft Auto 5 at launch last September was "unlawful," "unfair" and "fraudulent" on the part of Take-Two and Rockstar. Judge Virginia A. Phillips disagreed, citing there is no language on the Grand Theft Auto 5 packaging guaranteeing the online portion of the game "immediately." GTA Online launched on October 1, weeks after GTA 5 made its $1 billion debut at retail. Since then, Rockstar has iterated on its multiplayer offering by adding race and deathmatch creation tools, along with Rockstar Verified Jobs. Co-op heists will be added to GTA Online later this year.
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.
Grand Theft Auto 5 listed for PC on Amazon Germany, Amazon France
Crime epic Grand Theft Auto 5 was listed earlier today on Amazon France (since removed) and it's still sitting pretty on Amazon Germany for pre-order. An almost identical listing for a PC version of the game occurred around this time on the two sites last year, so please temper expectations of validity. Retail listings don't guarantee a product is real ... that's what ratings boards are for. Not to crush hopes and dreams entirely, Take-Two Interactive, parent company of Rockstar Games, will announce its third quarter earnings on February 3. Announcing the PC and next-gen versions of GTA 5 around that time would be a reasonable course of action. You know, if any exist.
