Capcom has given fans an unexpected blast from the past in a recent financial report.
As reported by RockstarIntel, they revealed how many units the sixth-generation Grand Theft Auto games sold in Japan.
What Do You Mean Capcom Sold Grand Theft Auto Games?
Once upon a time, yes, Capcom had a deal with Rockstar to publish the Grand Theft Auto games in Japan.
It’s true that the video game industry was already big in the 2000s. But at the time, Rockstar was not big enough to publish the game around the world.
Capcom handled localization on top of publishing duties to deal with Japan’s laws and rules. Today, there is a Take-Two Interactive Japan G.K. to take care of this for them.
OK, Let’s Hear The Game Sales
Grand Theft Auto III sold 290,000 copies in Japan in 2003. That is a full two years after the game originally launched in the US and PAL territories on the PlayStation 2.
By that point, it had already sold over seven million copies and made the company $ 350 million. Given the time of this release, and that it was a Western game, this was hugely successful launch. It definitely added to Grand Theft Auto III’s legend, and how that title changed Rockstar’s fortunes.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City sold 390,000 copies from May 2004 to March 2005. This was once again two years later than its original release in the US. At that point, it had already sold nearly six million units.
Finally, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas released in Japan in early 2007. By the end of March 2007, it sold 430,000 units. This also followed the global trend of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas outselling Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Capcom Is Also Connected To Rockstar In Another Way
Some fans may not know this, but Capcom’s partnership with Rockstar also yielded another win for Rockstar. Capcom helped create their legendary second IP, the Red Dead series.
Before Red Dead Redemption, there was Red Dead Revolver, developed by California based Angel Studios. Capcom hired Angel to make the amazing Resident Evil 2 port for the Nintendo 64, and that encouraged them to work together on an original IP.
Angel Studios started working on Red Dead Revolver. But because of troubles in development, Capcom bowed out. Take-Two took over as publisher and even acquired Angel Studios.
As some of you may know, Angel Studios was then renamed to Rockstar San Diego. While Red Dead Revolver did not turn out to be that successful, Rockstar would be proven right in betting on the California studio and its Old West franchise.
No need to cry for Capcom, as they are now experiencing a generational run as a game developer in their own right. Still, it’s fascinating to remember a time when these industry heavyweights once worked together.
