If and when "Grand Theft Auto V" is released on the next generation of gaming platforms, expectations are high that it will rake in big bucks for its game developers.
The exact release date for "GTA 5" for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC is still unconfirmed, although The Gospel Herald indicated that an online retailer may have leaked it already. U.K. retailer GameSeek announced this past week that the next edition of the open-world crime game will be released on November 7 of this year. It is already listed as available for pre-order on GameSeek's website.
Last month, Coolshop, a Danish online merchant, posted a release date of November 14. For unknown reasons, it later changed the date of availability to December 31.
Rockstar Games has been generally silent regarding an official date of release, although this past April, the company announced the launch of "Online Heists." This served as one of several updates for the online segment of "GTA 5." Other updates included "Online Creator" in April and "High Life" in May.
However, the actual Heists DLC update, allowing players to team up with trusted crew members or with other random mercenaries in cooperative online missions, has long been delayed. Rockstar had to apologize to fans this past June for those delays. This led to further speculation that Rockstar has stopped the development of Heists indefinitely.
Meanwhile, Cinema Blend is reporting that the coming ports of "GTA 5" could earn Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive a substantial amount. If two million copies of "GTA 5" are sold on the PC, PS4, and Xbox One, it could earn about $100 million for Take-Two.
Sterne Agee, analyst Arvind Batia, estimates a revenue of $48 from each copy because retailers often take $12 out of every $60.
The lag is affecting estimates, however. Since "GTA 5" has already sold 34 million copies on the PS3 and Xbox 360, the players and owners of those versions of the game have already defeated it and moved on to the next big thing.
To be clear though, multiplayer component "GTA Online" is its own separate cash generator. Bundled free with "GTA 5," "GTA Online" players can buy in-game cash with real-world money. According to Sterne Agee, "GTA Online" earns between $30 million to $40 million per quarter, and that an influx of new online players (owing to PS4, Xbox One, and PC gamers) could bump up that number even more.
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