The Worth of the GTA Franchise

GameDailyBiz has a piece analyzing the value of the Grand Theft Auto Franchise for developer Rockstar and publisher Take-Two Entertainment. At something like $900 Million over the next five years, the franchise is almost 80% of Take-Two's market value. From the article: " ... While it's hard to blame Take-Two for its reliance on a blockbuster franchise, eventually gamers are likely to tire of the GTA formula, or the games will no longer feel fresh when placed side-by-side with titles that perhaps improve on that formula. To be fair, Take-Two has made attempts to diversify itself through acquisitions and new IP, but the publisher's value right now is heavily dependent upon GTA and that could be a double-edged sword for potential suitors, or investors in general. "

Bah.

[RandoX]

GTA's not worth a cup of hot coffee.

Re:Next GTA game?

[Qzukk]

The next game should be "GTA: Minding your own business".

Instead of starting off as a smalltime thug trying to make it big, you're an upper-middle class guy driving home from work to his nice house, wife, dog, and 2.5 kids when suddenly some smalltime thug yanks you out of your Lexus at a stoplight and speeds off. You aren't going to take this lying down, are you? After all, you're 40, underappreciated, and the guy in the next cubicle over keeps smacking his gum all day long. You're overdue for your midlife crisis, and it's time to snap.

You're going to take on that gang single handedly. Your PDA's got a lock on the lojack signal, and no smalltime thug is a match for your fearsome arsenal of staplers, tps reports, and the powerful LAW(yer) rocket. You're getting that car back, if it's the last thing you do.

Besides, you've still got $15k of payments to go on that baby.

Re:As much as I loved GTA3

[Anonymous Coward]

I couldn't bring myself to spend the time to finish super Mario Brothers 2, or get more than a few hours into super Mario Brothers 3. They didn't seem like anything new, just more.

GTA: Falling Down

[djdavetrouble]

I love that Idea, sounds vaguely like that terrible movie, Falling Down. I'm thinking GTA: Bangalore, where you can outsource your jackings for like 1/4 the price of a domestic jacking.

Re:Remember London?

[damsa]

GTA: Endor, you can go around as a wookie and beat up Ewok hookers, run away from storm troopers etc.

Re:Franchises are OK

[Madpony]

McDonald's seems to be doing OK only selling hamburgers

There's a big difference between selling a hamburger and selling a piece of entertainment media. People are more willing to come back to get the same thing to eat than they are willing to play the same kind of game that eats up hours of their free time.

First of all, we need to eat, we don't need to play GTA.

Second, eating at McDonald's is a lot less of a time sink :)

Tire of GTA...

[rAiNsT0rm]

"eventually gamers are likely to tire of the GTA formula, or the games will no longer feel fresh"

Umm, so the, carjack, drive, shoot/hit, smack ho formula could get old and tired?!? *gasp* no, really?!?

For cripes sake GTA has been old and tired for some time to everyone but pre-pubescent boys who aren't really worried about much more than guns, boobies, and "flogging the bishop"... well, I guess that describes most of /. too... but I digress.

Re:Next GTA game?

[Golias]

Ooo... I smell a cross-license deal!

"Grand Theft Auto: Falling Down." [imdb.com]