Exclusive GTA IV Episodes for 360 Sets Microsoft Back $50M

Rumors of Rockstar's GTA franchise also moving onto the Xbox 360 have been confirmed a long time ago. However, more recently, GTA IV exclusive episodic content has been revealed for Microsoft's gaming system. A natural move really, no one expects it to sell as good with the PS3 as it did with previous installments. The strange thing though, is that Microsoft paid $50 million for exclusive rights to publish two episodes of the forthcoming game. That's less than Take-Two received from all its Xbox 360 titles combined.

According to statements from a senior executive at GTA IV publisher, Take-Two Interactive, $43 million is what the company received from all its Xbox 360 titles combined. So for Microsoft to pay 50 million to just see two exclusive episodes of the game means that they expect it to sell like crazy. Better than Halo 3 perhaps. Actually, it stands a good chance to sell better than Bungie's FPS, come to think of it.

Take-Two has already recorded the payments in financial filings as deferred revenue, explained Lainie Goldstein, Take-Two's newly appointed CFO, in a conference call with analysts, as Texyt posts. "The first 25 [million] is for the first episodic content package that's supposed to go out and that is in March of 08", Goldstein said. "The second 25 [million] will be for the second episodic... the episode. That will be later in [the] fiscal year, fiscal 08."

So then, how long do you think it will be before the whole franchise becomes an Xbox 360 exclusive? Not that I want it to, but hey, let's be realistic here, the PS3 doesn't stand a chance in hell to get back on its feet at the rate things are going. Not to mention that even if Sony considers a price reduction for the machine, Microsoft will surely adopt the same attitude (if they don't beat them to it) and theirs will still be on top. It's on for both consoles now, so rest assured that if you own a PS3, you'll get the full game on October 17, 2007.