Here’s an interesting fact that came near the tail end of Take-Two Interactive’s earnings call earlier today. An investor asked how well Grand Theft Auto IV has sold in Japan since October 2008. If you’re only after numbers, GTA IV has sold somewhere in the area of 400,000 copies in Japan.
I know 400,000 doesn’t sound like a lot especially when compared to the 17 million copies the game has sold around the world. But the impact of GTA IV in Japan is worth more than how many copies were sold. According to Take-Two, GTA IV is the highest selling western developed game of this generation in Japan. This is quite a feat since western developed third person shooters are usually not Japan’s cup of tea.
Take-Two also explained its plans to further branch out into other markets such as China. There will be a MMO based on the NBA 2K specifically meant for China. The company is hoping the brand recognition of NBA 2K will help the MMO take off in China. However Take-Two has the funds to give the title a push if need be. A closed beta will be released for the MMO, but Take-Two isn’t revealing a date yet. The company would not comment on plans to take the NBA 2K MMO outside of China.
Via [Take-Two Earnings Call]
The best-selling western title in Japan is Crash Bandicoot: Warped. If you don't count the Donkey Kong Country games and Tetris.