Pachter Discusses Grand Theft Auto V Sales Predictions

Although Grand Theft Auto V hasn't been announced yet, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter predicts the game could sell up to a staggering 24 million units.

Pachter had this to say in a recent note regarding the unannounced Grand Theft Auto game:

We expect the next Grand Theft Auto to sell at least 18 million units, representing a 20% attach rate to the estimated 2011 year-end installed base of PS3 and Xbox 360 in the U.S. and Europe. At this level, we estimate that Grand Theft Auto will generate at least $2.65/share in incremental EPS, making Take-Two’s forecast of ‘in excess’ of $2.00 per share in earnings during FY:13 easily attainable.

The analyst continued:

Should the game sell 24 million units (in line with its historical attach rate), we expect contribution of more than $4.00 per share in incremental EPS. Importantly, the company has a history of providing conservative guidance, and without a GTA game in FY:13, we would not expect management to be so bold as to guide to earnings over $2.00.

The Grand Theft Auto series is, along with Activision's Call of Duty, the highest grossing series in history. Grand Theft Auto IV surpassed $1 billion in revenue, and the game itself, meanwhile, surpassed 20 million sales a few years after its launch. The GTA franchise, overall, has exceeded 100 million copies sold since its inception.

Thanks, Industry Gamers.