The controversialGrand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Editionhas had a rocky rollout since its debut last year. What should have been a celebration of three of themost acclaimedGTAsof all timewas instead plagued with endless immersion-breaking issues. However, this troubled takeoff has seemingly not stumped the sales of the collection, as Take-Two Interactive states that it has “significantly exceeded expectations.”
For the uninitiated,Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - Definitive Editionis developer Grove Street Games' endeavor to enhance the experience of three legendary PS2-era Rockstar titles withadditions such as updated textures and character models. The trio of classics in the collection include the ever so iconicGrand Theft Auto 3,Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, andGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas. But, while this sounds like a dream come true for many nostalgic gamers, the public reception has been nothing but unfavorable, with the poor quality resulting inlow Metacritic scores for theGTA Trilogy.
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So, with such a gloom-ridden reception from critics heeded by a global outcry from gamers who were teased with amateur-level blunders in their full-priced video game, one might expect theGrand Theft Auto Trilogyto perform inadequately in the sales department. However, correlative commercial expectations as this would reportedly be far from the truth, according to theCEO of Rockstar parent company Take-Two Interactive. This news comes as, during the company’s third-quarter earnings call on Monday, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick stated that the GTA Trilogy had “significantly exceeded” the company’s commercial expectations.
Those interested in more specific sales figures will find that theGrand Theft Auto Trilogyshipped at least 10 million units, which is a rather healthy landmark number for an AAA video game to hit. This sales figure attainment was cracked when Zelnick divulged that the entireGrand Theft Autofranchise sold over 370 million units,including over 160 million copies ofGrand Theft Auto 5. Therefore, there has been a 15 million increase for the franchise since the last November investor call. Given that ZelnicksingledGTA 5out as selling another 5 million in that period, it is almost certain that theGTA Trilogymust make up the other 10 million sales.
In summary, although numerous bugs and glitches linger about to taint the re-release of these industry-defining games, it would appear that the masses still cannot get enough of theGrand Theft Auto Trilogy. On a brighter note, as the collection continues to draw in gamers, one can hope that Grove Street Games will bring updates about on a more regular basis to satisfy this influx of players.
Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Editionis available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Android and iOS ports are scheduled to release in early 2022.
