Well, I guess we're not going to see any singleplayer DLC for GTA V any time soon.
GTA Online's micro-transactions alone have brought in almost double the budget of the game. Add that to the fact that Grand Theft Auto V made over $1 billion three days after launch and sales have been steadily high ever since. This game has made Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive Software very, very rich.
We've covered the various financial reports that Take-Two has released every now and then. The latest sales figures from February state that GTA V has hit over 60 million copies sold not counting digital sales, meaning you can probably double that number. Considering how discounts on the game are running back to back on various platforms, the game still being used in promotions to sell consoles and the only ever increasing popularity of Online, this isn't too surprising.
Overall, the profit brought in by the game since launch is currently sitting around (most likely over) the $3 billion mark, which is a lot of money. One sixth of that comes from the sale of Shark Cash Cards, which are in-game batches of currency that can be bought with real-life money. Considering how expensive some of the flashiest items in GTA Online are, it's no surprise that players in need of cash might turn to this method.
We've covered the possibly frightening implications this has for the future of the series, such as the next game being online-only or, even worse, free to play with a bigger focus on microtransactions. However those transactions aren't always as "micro" as you'd think - some of the Shark Cards cost as much as the game or more, with the Megalodon having a list price of $99.99.
The figures regarding Shark Card revenue and total profit were found in the documents of the lawsuit recently filed by Leslie Benzies, former producer at Rockstar, against Take-Two. Benzies is allegedly owed $150 million in unpaid royalties, however Take-Two Interactive responded with a counter-suit and statements dismissing Benzies' claims as selfish and baseless. We cannot know what truth lies behind all the accusations, but it's sad to see things go this way.
As for GTA Online itself, this figure has one clear implication - the steady stream of free content updates won't be running dry anytime soon. With the community approaching maximum lowrider capacity, Rockstar might want to consider releasing DLC in a new theme to drive those Shark Card Sales even higher.
The most recent update, bringing yet another lowrider to GTA Online (which surely gave a few players reason to grab a Shark Card) was released this Tuesday. Alongside the new Minivan Custom, the update also added a football themed Adversary Mode to the game called Inch By Inch. With a double RP and cash payout promo going for the mode, Shark Cards aren't the only way to rack up some quick cash.
Have you guys bought any Shark Cards, or do you prefer to earn your cash with jobs or grinding?
I bought one shark card on sale for about 60 bucks (real money). Major ripoff. That money was gone in minutes. Stopped playing the game not long after because I realized it wasn't my kind of game.
That's your problem.
What's worse is, I felt terrible for spending that money after I realized how easy it is to get modded money in the game. On Xbox 360 and Xbox One it's too easy, using character transfer from the 360. There's no point in trying to compete with anyone in the game because there's too many people who've given themselves countless millions of dollars. PC cheaters are even more ridiculous.
I guess we now know why they try so hard to stay on top of the moders .. most people I know have millions through moders and its so wide spread I don't think rockstar has the man power to police it.
In the first year I spent at least 500 bucks on shark cards.