Grand Theft Auto is one of the most well-known game franchises, so when a new game comes out, people pay attention. Grand Theft Auto V will be hitting store shelves September 17th, and there’s some concern that’s uncomfortably close to the November release of next-gen consoles.
Rockstar’s next magnum opus has not been announced for next gen consoles yet — it’s only available on PS3 and Xbox 360, with a PC version perhaps 8 months away. IDC analyst Lewis Ward told GamesIndustry International that GTA V may eat into next-gen sales when such awesome experiences are already available on current gen.
Ward said that in a survey of 25 countries about potential interest in next gen consoles, the US placed in the bottom five.
“That says to me that a lot of gamers are going to stick by their Xbox 360s, Wii/Us, and PS3s at least until the 2014 holiday season when the game catalog will be a lot bigger and some of the online kinks have been worked out,” said Ward.
Ward seems to think that the promise of more fantastic games such as GTA V will keep gamers on the systems they already own instead of shelling out another $400 to $500 on a new console.
Wedbush’s Michael Pachter and EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich disagree. Pachter believes that the consoles are big enough that a single game isn’t enough to stop them from selling.
“Consoles launch at the same time as big games all the time, it’s part of the ecosystem,” Pachter said.
Divnich thinks that the sales figures from sites such as Amazon.com are solid indicators of the popularity of the next gen, as both consoles continue to top the sales charts on the website. Divnich even believes that GTA V could possibly move new current gen consoles just by stimulating more interest in games. Independent analyst Billy Pidgeon thinks that either way, GTA V will top charts and set sales records.
Source: GI.biz
