File this one under amazing facts that won’t surprise anyone. NPD analyst Mat Piscatella recently tweeted out that “Grand Theft Auto V is the #1 best-selling game in the US (since NPD began tracking in 1995).” Piscatella later clarified this impressive feat by stating that this wasn’t in terms of units (as Wii Sports still narrowly edges it out if you count pack-in titles), but in dollars.
Grand Theft Auto V‘s momentous success can be contributed to a number of factors. Not only is it the fifth main installment of gaming’s biggest series, but it also released on five separate platforms. Many players ended up purchasing the game twice: once on Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3, and then again when the remastered version came out on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It’s one of the few games that have really taken advantage of selling to two generations of consoles, and that has boosted the total number of units sold to over 80 million worldwide.
It also helps that Rockstar has been great about supporting the game’s popular online mode. GTA Online continues to receive major updates despite the game being nearly four years old. This support has kept the userbase active online, and is another reason why gamers double dipped once they bought into the current generation of consoles.
GTA V‘s relevance is guaranteed for a couple of more years, as Rockstar is currently working on a sequel to Red Dead Redemption. This will release in spring 2018, meaning a follow-up to Grand Theft Auto is even further away.
(Source: NPD via GamesBeat)
