rockstar
Latest
Grand Theft Auto III series lands on Amazon's tablets and Fire TV
The Grand Theft Auto games have been on seemingly every platform known to humankind, but those with Amazon devices have had to make do without Rockstar's vehicular mayhem. That changes today: you can now snag Grand Theft Auto III, Vice City and San Andreas on both the Kindle Fire tablet line as well as Fire TV. You'll be very familiar with the experience if you've used any of the earlier mobile versions, although that's no big complaint given the quality of the ports. With that said, the real allure may be the pricing. Each game normally costs $5 a pop, but purchasing San Andreas currently gets you enough Amazon Coins to buy the other two releases -- this could be a good way to get started in the crime-filled world of GTA without making a big investment.
Grand Theft Auto 5 High Life patch adds apartments, removes alcohol-ception glitch
"Fixed a small issue where players could still activate the Apartment drinking activities after drinking themselves unconscious." So go the patch notes for Grand Theft Auto 5 update 1.13, dubbed "High Life." And don't worry, there's more. The High Life update, in addition to making sure players can no longer experience an alcohol-induced version of Christopher Nolan's Inception, adds five new high-end properties to own, 32 new suits for male characters, the Bullpup Rifle, new vehicles, the ability to own more than one property, and a Mental State that shows how often a potential matchmaking partner murders fellow players. Because hey, you might be a drugged-up sociopath out for nothing but the next big score, but that doesn't mean you should have to put up with mean people online. Check out the full list of High Life changes on Rockstar's website. [Image: Take-Two]
Rockstar promising next-gen release this fiscal year
During today's record-revenue Take-Two financial call, CEO Strauss Zelnick acknowledged the significant contribution of Rockstar Games and the 33 million units shipped of Grand Theft Auto 5, while teasing an unannounced release from the company. "We're excited about what [Rockstar] have in store for the new generation of systems this fiscal year," said Zelnick, not providing any further clarification throughout the rest of the hour-long conference call. The company's fiscal year will conclude in March, 2015. This more than likely just refers to a next-gen facelift for GTA 5, but we're going to push logic and reason aside for a moment to wish on a star for Red Dead Redemption 2 (Redder Deader Redemption) on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Heck, we'd even take a new Rockstar Table Tennis on Wii U.
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.
Grand Theft Auto 5 ships 33 million units
That's a lot of violent, reckless criminals: Rockstar and Take-Two have shipped more than 33 million copies of Grand Theft Auto 5, Take-Two announced in its fiscal year 2014 report. "Grand Theft Auto 5 was the best-selling console video game of 2013 in North America, Latin America and Europe combined," the report says. "To date, Grand Theft Auto 5 has sold-in more than 33 million units." Sales of Grand Theft Auto 5 passed $1 billion in its first three days at retail. In March, Take-Two reported it shipped 32.5 million copies of Grand Theft Auto 5. [Image: Take-Two]
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.
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]
Gamespy's multiplayer servers are going dark, be prepared
Even if you've only played a handful games with online multiplayer in the past dozen years, chances are that at least a few of your sessions have been powered by Gamespy's back-end tech. On May 31st, the company is shutting down its servers for good, and as a result, a bunch of games are losing their online capabilities. For console games, that largely amounts to multiplayer. For certain PC titles though, that also includes authentication servers for CD keys -- losing those means losing access to the game itself. You probably weren't playing most of what Gamespy's listed anymore (WWE SmackDown vs Raw 2009 on PS3, anyone?), though, and a good deal of what's there are somewhat obscure Wii, DS and PC titles. There are, however, high-profile stand-outs: most anything from Rockstar Games and Activision, or the PS3 version of Borderlands and the hardcore military-sim (and basis for DayZ) ARMA series, for instance.
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]
European PlayStation Store slashes prices on Rockstar games
From now until April 2, the European version of Sony's PlayStation Network Store is hosting two sales both focused on massively discounting the prices attached to games bearing the Rockstar Games logo. The core of the sale is aimed at Max Payne 3 and Grand Theft Auto 4, though these particular discounts only last until March 26. Max Payne 3 was originally £15.99 but is now £5.99 while Grand Theft Auto 4 has seen a similarly impressive price drop from £19.99 to £5.49. The sale also offers sizable discounts on the Max Payne 3 season pass, as well as the two Liberty City Stories released as DLC for Grand Theft Auto 4. The remainder of the PSN discounts are valid until April 2 and include games like Canis Canim Edit (aka Bully), Red Dead Revolver and all three of the Grand Theft Auto games released for the PlayStation 2. Grand Theft Auto 4 is again the highlight here, as the game's Complete Edition, which was originally priced at £24.99, can be purchased for £7.99. For full details and pricing information, visit the European PlayStation.blog. [Image: 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]
Grand Theft Auto masterminds crash into AIAS Hall of Fame
Rockstar heads Leslie Benzies, Dan Houser and Sam Houser are the 18th, 19th and 20th inductees into the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, joining previous winners Gabe Newell, Shigeru Miyamoto, Sid Meier, John Carmack, Mark Cerny, Ray Muzyka, Greg Zeschuck, and Tim Sweeney, among other luminaries. The Houser brothers founded Rockstar Games in 1998 and acquired Benzies' studio, DMA Design, in 1999. It became Rockstar North, the hub of Grand Theft Auto development. Microsoft Corporate Veep Phil Harrison will present Benzies and the Housers at the DICE Awards on Thursday, February 6. "A rare combination of cultural savvy, technical prowess and a deep passion for interactive entertainment has made Rockstar Games a global success story that has helped propel the games medium forward," Harrison says in a press release. "I am proud and honored to present Leslie, Sam and Dan with this award on behalf of the entire industry." AIAS calls out specific franchises as examples of Rockstar's impact on the industry, as both developer and publisher: Grand Theft Auto, Bully, Red Dead Redemption, Manhunt, The Warriors and LA Noire. We'll be running a liveblog of the DICE Awards on Thursday, starting at 7:30PM PT. [Image: Rockstar Games]
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]
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.
GTA: San Andreas now available for (some) Windows Phones weeks late
Rockstar Games' promise of an early January launch for Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on Windows Phone devices may've been a bit off -- the game just arrived on the Windows Phone store today, as spotted by CNET. The game carries a $7 price tag and works on a handful of WP8 devices (the HTC 8XT and Nokia Lumias 1520, 1320, 822, 820 and 810); it's got the same touch-based, contextual controls that the iOS and Android versions employ. Should the Caricature Compton of Carl Johnson's San Andreas entice you, you can snag it right here.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas settles in on Windows Phone 8
After coming to iOS and Android last year, the final game in the Grand Theft Auto 3 trilogy is out now on Windows Phone 8. The debate will ever rage on over which one is the best, but there's no doubt San Andreas is the phattest. Wait, we mean fattest.
