Capitalizing on news that 274,000 PlayStation 3 copies of Grand Theft Auto 4 sold on day one in Europe, Sony claimed the game also drove sales of the console itself.
Curiously, the company relied on a statement from Gamestop Senior VP of Merchandising Bob McKenzie: “From our position, the launch of GTA IV has been tremendous in driving traffic to our stores, as well as providing a vigorous lift in PS3 console sales over this time last week,” McKenzie said.
“We attribute the growth to a huge fan base of PS2 owners who see this title as the trigger for the PS3 upgrade they’ve been planning.”
Sony did not release any data about its hardware sales to back up its message, but well-known industry analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan Securities appeared to agree.
“I think brand loyalty is going to kick in for Sony, starting today,” Pachter said.
“There is a huge installed base of loyal PlayStation 2 owners who have been looking for a reason to upgrade, and they have strong previous ties to the Grand Theft Auto franchise on PlayStation platforms.”
NPD numbers for North American sales Grand Theft Auto 4 are not yet available.
Source: Gamesindustry.biz
Published: May 2, 2008 02:49 pm