Rockstar has revealed that GTA Online made $ 66.4 million in the past three months.
As their first foray with Grand Theft Auto in the microtransactions space, GTA Online was a huge step forward and a major risk for the company. While the game did not require you to buy anything outright, it allowed for you to buy in-game cash with real money. Of course, the decision was met with a firestorm of controversy.
In fact, in reaction, fans hacked the game and gave away millions to random players, in what can now be clearly seen as a bid to hijack the in-game economy. Rockstar took weeks to take control back, and have now made it so that any form of hacking into the game can get you kicked out of GTA Online completely.
After everything was said and done, however, Rockstar’s gamble seems to have paid off. The company also revealed 70 percent of people who own GTA 5 played GTA Online. That $ 66.4 million now represents half of digital revenue.
All is not rosy, as fans were quick to condemn the news as proof that other AAA companies will also muddle further in microtransactions for their major titles. While games like Forza 5 and GTA 6 also received heavy criticism for doing the same thing, it is likely that Turn 10 and Polyphony Digital will reveal similar results come income report time.
So it would seem the numbers of educated gamers who prefer not to have microtransactions on their retail games are being quieted by others who are willing to pay for them. Whatever side you take, it seems likely we will see more of this happen to our favorite retail games in the near future.