Video-game publisher Take-Two Interactive has shipped more than 29 million copies of its blockbuster "Grand Theft Auto V," leading to a nearly 2 percent jump in company shares during after-hours trading, USA TODAY reported.
The latest "Grand Theft Auto" game has already overtaken the lifetime haul of its predecessor, which launched in 2008.
"The company is firing on all cylinders but the thousand-pound gorilla this year for this company is Grand Theft Auto V," CEO Strauss Zelnick said in an interview with Reuters. "Our goal is to have the 'James Bonds' of the interactive gaming industry."
"Grand Theft Auto V" generated $1 billion in revenue during its first three days of availability, a record for a video game launch.
While the new title is already a smash, its success won't be reflected in Take-Two's quarterly earnings reports, according to The New York Times.
For the quarter that ended Sept. 30, Take-Two reported a net loss that ballooned to $124 million from $12 million a year earlier, and revenue that plummeted to $149 million from $273 million, the media outlet reported.
Take-Two is expected to recognize the revenue from last quarter's sales of Grand Theft Auto V in the final three months of the year.
Not counting revenue deferrals and other items, Take-Two said its sales were $1.27 billion, compared with $288 million a year earlier, while it earned $326 million compared to $12 million the year before, according to The New York Times.
More than the 25 million copies of the console version of Grand Theft Auto IV have been sold to retailers, Zelnick told The Times.
Zelnick credited the number to the high quality of the free-wheeling game, which takes players through a Los Angeles-esque urban landscape. But he also noted that the installed base of game consoles, which is much larger now than it was five years ago, have helped sales.
"It's an extraordinary performance," he said.
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