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GTA 4 DLC Didn't Perform As Expected

While the content itself was a good one, sales didn't reflect that

Dec 21, 2009 10:14 GMT  ·  By
Criminals don't sell as well as they used to
   Criminals don't sell as well as they used to

When it comes to big games, one has to mention Grand Theft Auto 4, since the title was a huge hit all around. Whether in sales, critic reviews or fan reception, the game scored top marks all around. So, anything that carries the GTA 4 name should have done just as well. The title released two downloadable content packs, and, while some might have expected fans to jump at them, reality was somewhat lesser. As far as sales went, the DLCs did horribly, if we consider just how well the full game did. The main problem, as seen by Take-Two's CEO, Ben Feder, can be found in timing and marketing.

During the company's investors conference call, Feder said that, "Both we and Microsoft believe there was a big market for GTA 4 episodic content. And some factors have affected their performance. Both were released significantly after the core unit ... GTA 4, which was launched in April of 2008 and therefore weren't able to leverage GTA 4's initial marketing campaign and initial launch fervor."

An exact number as far as actual sales go hasn't been released by Take-Two, but that doesn't mean there are no estimates. Originally, both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony were priced at $20, but were later packed together on the "Episodes of Liberty City" disc. According to Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter, the DLCs sold around 100,000 units in the U.S. The main reason for this seems to be not the rather steep price for the DLCs, but the nature of GTA 4 itself and the gameplay mechanics. Sandbox games are usually about running around, having as much fun as you can, and there's not much you can improve on that.

"Episodes From Liberty City seems to have been most appealing to those who have finished GTA 4 and wanted more story and gameplay," Feder said. "Which is a smaller market than initially expected. There's very little precedent for this type of episodic content at the price point that we offered it. And so we're confident that these titles will continue to have a long life, just as we've seen a long life from all of our other prior GTA releases."