Grand Theft Auto IV Moves 13 Million, Rockstar Execs Get Rich

Grand Theft Auto IV was undoubtedly one of the most important and successful titles of the last year. Being the first next-generation iteration in the very popular GTA series, the game blew away reviewers, who graced it with near, if not perfect grades.

The critical success translated into huge sales for the release, as Take Two, the parent company of the creator of the title, Rockstar, has just announced that, as of January 31, Grand Theft Auto IV has moved over 13 millions units. Let's not forget that this has been before the record-breaking DLC episode of the game, The Lost and Damned, has appeared on the Xbox 360 platform.

While these financial results have resulted in a breath of fresh air for Take Two, which hasn't been going through the best financial times, it has also meant a lot of money for the main executives at Rockstar, including the co-founders, Sam and Dan Houser, or other “key members of the creative team,” like Leslie Benzies.

The leaders of the company have received a big amount of stocks in Take Two, totaling around 2,849,003 shares, which, if you take into consideration the current stock price, add up to 18 million dollars. The bonus will need to be approved by the shareholder committee at the end of the month, but if you consider just how many successful games the Rockstar team has delivered to Take Two, there shouldn't be any problems.

This will, hopefully give the creators an even bigger incentive to work on future releases, with the closest one being the second DLC episode for GTA IV, which has already seen a lot of speculation going around the Internet. Be sure to check back for more announcements regarding this record-breaking game.