Grand Theft Auto Online outdid itself this past holiday season and publisher Take-Two Interactive expects the game to rake in even more revenue this year.
The record-setting game is still a cash cow for the company, Take-Two Interactive noted when it reported its Q3 financials.
Grand Theft Auto V has sold more than 60 million units worldwide, stated Take-Two's Strauss H. Zelnick, chairman and CEO. It and its multiplayer component, Grand Theft Auto Online, continue to attract new players and have surpassed the company's forecasts every quarter since the game launched, he stated.
"In addition, consumers remain highly engaged with the vast open world of Grand Theft Auto Online, which achieved its best week ever for both revenues and active players during this holiday season, more than two years after launch," Zelnick said.
Grand Theft Auto V attracted more recurrent spending from consumers and generated its highest revenue ever during Take-Two's third quarter, he stated.
To keep the recurrent spending up, Take-Two drove up consumer engagement with Grand Theft Auto Online by delivering a steady schedule of free content and in-game events, he went on.
"During the holiday season, Rockstar Games supported Grand Theft Auto Online with a rich array of updates, including Festive Surprise 2015, Executives and Other Criminals, Lowriders and Halloween Surprise, all of which were key contributors to the game's record results," said Zelnick.
The latest installment in the oft-ostracized Grand Theft Auto franchise, Grand Theft Auto V launched in September 2013 for the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360 consoles. Developer Rockstar Games expanded the open-world adventure game from the confines of last-gen consoles roughly a year later, and re-released the game for Xbox One, PlayStation and PC.
Grand Theft Auto V broke seven Guinness World Records when it launched. And that was before it landed on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
Among the records it crunched was best-selling video game within 24 hours and fastest entertainment property to gross $1 billion.
