GTA IV is 'biggest ever title' for PS3 in Europe

by Andrew Yoon { Apr 8th 2008 at 11:30PM }

No one will be surprised by this statement: Grand Theft Auto IV's pre-order sales are doing incredibly well. In fact, the game is in dangerously low supply due to the incredible demand. European retailer Play.com has already sold out of its GTA pre-orders, and GAME and Gamestation are both getting close as well.

In Europe, GTA IV has become a system seller for the PS3. It seems like people are more interested in picking up Sony's black box over on that side of the Atlantic. Play.com's head of games Gian Luzio told MCV that GTA IV is "far and away the biggest selling title" he'd ever seen on PS3. It's "already proving a real hardware driver ... I've been really blown away by how quickly it's sold on PS3."

While that's great news for SCEE, it'll be interesting to see how the American launch will also fare later this month. Stay tuned.

[Via Joystiq]

Tags: grand-theft-auto, grand-theft-auto-iv, gta, gtaiv, play.com, ps3, sales

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Glen @ Apr 8th 2008 11:37PM

Bigger than GT5: Prologue?!

I guess some Europeans don't really care about that $50 million 360 exclusive DLC...

Thoas @ Apr 8th 2008 11:44PM

I think they know M$ will charge $60 bucks a pop for that DLC.

leiwei @ Apr 9th 2008 11:37AM

$60 a pop? Where'd you get that info? From what I read, Pachter predicts it to be AT LEAST $15 per episodic content in order for MS to make some kinda profit or break even.

Da @ Apr 9th 2008 6:45PM

leiwei, think you missed the point there bud.

jack wilko @ Apr 30th 2008 3:54PM

gta is mint the best gta yet oh m8 is the best ye m8

Thoas @ Apr 8th 2008 11:40PM

I pre-ordered mine last friday for the beautiful black box.

ChodalBerryWagon @ Apr 9th 2008 2:27AM

omg same!!!

Da @ Apr 9th 2008 3:38AM

you two should meet up or something..

Bo Moulton @ Apr 9th 2008 12:07PM

Hahaha. Exactly my thoughts Da...lovers.

JAH75157 @ Apr 8th 2008 11:48PM

the ps3 is selling itself, otherwise it would be moving more 360's as well.

heckteck @ Apr 8th 2008 11:53PM

i'll get this game regardless but i won't get it at launch i just think GTA is a over rated game but thats just my opinion i mean the only time i actually played a gta game fully was GTA3 then i bought Vice city on launch day and it was the same thing just went around and did the same thing it just felt like a total conversion mod for gta3 and Andreaswhen i bought it at launch just felt like a more polished Total conversion.......so i'm just going to sit this out and wait for a little bit, i'm swamped with to many games anyways

Maverick Saturn @ Apr 9th 2008 5:25AM

Isn't that what most games do?

Carlton @ Apr 9th 2008 11:30AM

Except in GTA3 you couldn't swim, crouch, sky dive, gamble, change clothes, customise vehicles, burgle houses, pimp 'ho's
pilot planes, helicopters, boats, bikes, remote controlled vehicles or jet-packs, or play most of the mini-games that popped up in later episodes.
Not to mention the numerous other additional vehicles and weapons that appeared later, or the tweaks to the physics and aiming system.
All this and more within a single generation. Same game? My arse!

massive_98 @ Apr 8th 2008 11:57PM

These shortages won't affect Canada, right? I laughed at my friend when he preordered it; maybe I should do the same.

Dahk @ Apr 9th 2008 1:15AM

... yeah probably bro. Haha if you're anywhere in toronto region/suburbs, i know a LOT of people flocking the pre-orders.

Haiddasalami @ Apr 9th 2008 9:39AM

Preordered my special edition =)

doom saber @ Apr 9th 2008 12:33AM

A shame that the PS3 ver lacks the extra stuff that the 360 has. Not sure how the preorder sales are for the 360 ver in Europe, but if I assume that the Playstation3 version is selling better and I was Rockstar, I would make a DLC for that system as well; true, that MS probably paid for the content, but couldn't Rockstar make a different DLC just for the ps3 fans?

I am gettin bored of the GTA games, but if I ever get it, I will buy the 360 version just because of the extra DLC.

Mein Bratwurst @ Apr 9th 2008 12:44AM

I believe Rockstar will develop DLC on PS3 eventually. It's just a feeling I get. Perhaps wishful thinking?

After the 360 gets theirs of course.

Kodros @ Apr 9th 2008 12:54AM

Rockstar never said that there wont be DLC for PS3. They only stated that they are making exclusive content for the 360 in probably 6 months.

miya @ Apr 9th 2008 9:16AM

What, ps3 version lacks what 360 has, the ps3 version is the only 1 with split screen.Ps3 version runs better from what most early previews have shown. And i dont have to pay for xbox live to play it online.If anything the ps3 version is already a step ahead.So what the 360 will get dlc lol thats not gonna sell the game sry.

Maverick Saturn @ Apr 9th 2008 5:28AM

Not everyone even knows about the DLC here, if you talk to a few people, they want GTA, but couldn't care less for DLC, the heck if they even know what DLC means, or how it will change thier veiws in any way. Its also an excuse for people to pick up the PS3, I know a few of my PS3less mates were waiting just for GTA to release before they bought a PS3.

Dehshizknight @ Apr 9th 2008 12:22AM

Lol, don't you mean Microsoft points?

Bolivar Baez @ Apr 9th 2008 1:13AM

Exactly, they only talked about content that will only be on 360, but never actually said that they wouldn't make other different content for PS3. They only implied that the 360 content will only appear on 360.

Robert @ Apr 9th 2008 1:15AM

I believe that this will sell more ps3's in other regions, but for some odd reason the usa market may not see as many. with the bulk of Xbox 360's base in the us it makes more sense for that version to out sell the ps3's version. but if microsoft hadnt paid big bucks for the extra dlc it may have been a differant story. I believe time will tell and it wont be this year. seeing as all of the gtas sold far more after it reached greatest hits status.

dan @ Apr 9th 2008 1:53AM

Of course the PS3 GTA will sell better in europe... Europeans Have WAAAYYY more PS3s than 360's... other than england

Im wondering if the exclusive DLC could be available to PS3 owners through an expansion disk... Does M$ have exclusivity to the content, or the "downloadable" content... they would still make money on it, due to the fact that you have to buy microsoft's fairy points to purchase the content... It would make sense for R* to relase a disk on Ps3, becuse they wont have to deal with the middleman like they would in the situation of only being able to distribute through XBL on the Xbox, they could completely cut that factor out with the ps3... its really a win-win for M$ and R* that way.

anthonyjh @ Apr 9th 2008 2:08AM

Pre-ordered mine today. Apparently a good decision.

PS3FanxD @ Apr 9th 2008 2:56AM

doom saber: Didn't you say you got bored of GTA? GTA IV is basically the same game, and it is much longer (said to be 100hours long) then the older ones. I doubt you will finish this one and be able to stick around for the DLC. So it shouldn't matter, get a PS3 version ;P. Jk.

Da @ Apr 9th 2008 3:43AM

I doubt it'll be 'basically the same game'.
Think of the step between GTA2 on PS1 to GTA3 on PS2.. we're about to experience that leap all over again. Don't let the fact it's already 3D fool you.

Maverick Saturn @ Apr 9th 2008 5:31AM

With Sony's open platform, I'm suprised its not offering more :S

The same way you can mod on PC, you should be given the right to mod GTA4 like we did with UT3, that would be fun, bring back my good ol Lamborghini.

aMIGA_dUDE @ Apr 9th 2008 6:59AM

Buy it a Amazon it cheaper

At play.com for GTA4 on PS3, Xbox 360 is £39.99
At play.com for GTA4 Special Edition on PS3, XBox 360 is £69.99

At ASDA (website) for GTA4 on the PS3, XBox 360 is £37.93
At ASDA (website) for GTA4 Special Edition on PS3, XBox 360 is £59.93

At Amazon for GTA4 on the PS3, XBox 360 is £34.99
At Amazon for GTA4 Special Edition on PS3, XBox 360 is £59.98

jtedesco33 @ Apr 9th 2008 7:24AM

A multi-plat game no matter what it is, is not selling systems. Plain and simple everyone knows that Europe as a whole is more PS3 centric than America, where we are Xbox centric.

So it only goes to reason that more copies will be sold for the PS3 in Europe than the 360. Depending on how many 360's vs. Ps3's are out in America will determine how well GTA sells for each console.

Anyone that actually thinks that this game is selling systems is an idiot. The DLC will not make that big of a difference either, most people that just buy these big time triple A games don't even know that one has DLC and the other doesn't.

chin @ Apr 9th 2008 7:50AM

I am sure, that GTA IV could be a system seller. There are definetely much people who just want to buy a system for GTA.

LS @ Apr 9th 2008 8:09AM

I've had this damn game on pre-order for nearly a year now and admit that had I not already had my PS3 at the point i pre-ordered, being such a huge fan of the franchise, I definitely would have bought a PS3 to play GTA4. So to me I can see why this game would help shift the PS3.

doom saber @ Apr 9th 2008 6:23PM

Actually, I think GTA IV would be able to sell systems via the GTA IV bundle pack. I mean, for the average european consumer who doesn't know or doesn't care about DLC and wants to buy a system to play GTA IV, sees both an Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 at the store, she/he will most likely choose the latter if she/he sees the bundle pack.

I have no idea if the 360 also has a bundle pack, but I know over at Europe, the game will be bundled with the ps3.

tboy123 @ Apr 9th 2008 9:08PM

I preordered mine last week at Target of all places. It comes with a Target exclusive system skin (at least thats what the "reserve" card said.).
I would rather get the PS3 version. I could go on and on listing the reasons... but, I am not that bored....

Mark @ Apr 9th 2008 10:15PM

Where can i buy this on launch day in uk?
No more preorders left and i dont trust them to deliver on launch day if I order now.
Is it worth trekking to oxford street or tcr or something?
Will asda have it? I remember the harry potter thing and maybe thats the place to go.... Anyone got a solution?

P @ Apr 9th 2008 11:56PM

GAME and Play.com are probably the first place most people think of going, but theres still HMV, Virgin/Zavv and even Dixons, plus the supermarkets will definately have copies on shelves, purely because they dont put their allocation up for pre-order, Tesco, Asda & co will have them on shelves, that much im sure of. I'll be buying on that basis, luckily i have one of the UKs bigger shopping centers an Asda & Morrisons all a couple of minutes away, so if i have the cash its getting bought. The supermarkets have been considerably cheaper for DVDs lately, so they would be my first visit.