To say thatGrand Theft Autois wildly successful would be a gross understatement. Years afterGrand Theft Auto 5’s release,Grand Theft Auto Onlinecontinues to pull in new players and retain those who have spent years in the game. A new report shows just how true that is.Grand Theft Auto Online’s recent Cayo Perico Heist DLC release apparently isn’t just a wild success. It’s also led toGrand Theft Auto Online’s highest monthly digital earnings ever.
The report comes from Nielson industry reporting agency Superdata. In Superdata’s report on December’s digital games market,Grand Theft Auto Onlineis said to achieved digital earnings never achieved before in the game’s seven-year lifespan. Digital revenue forGrand Theft Auto Onlinehas been growing significantly forRockstar in 2020, so a record month isn’t unexpected. Regardless, it’s an impressive achievement that will be difficult for Rockstar to manage again inGrand Theft Auto Online’s remaining time.
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Exact data on Rockstar’s revenue isn’t available, but Superdata does note that player totals grew month-to-month by 46% between November and December. However, despite the growth,Grand Theft Auto Onlineapparently didn’t match the total player numbers achieved earlier in 2020. It just goes to show that theCayo Perico DLCmay not have reinvigorated the playerbase in record fashion but did monetize the existing playerbase in ways that Rockstar has never been able to do before.
Even having its record month for digital earnings, Superdata rankings show thatGrand Theft Auto 5wasn’t topping any charts.Grand Theft Auto 5, which includesGrand Theft Auto Online, was listed as fourth overall for console games in December 2020. Even a record month in digital revenue can’t compare to the success of major game launches likeCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War,NBA 2K21, andCyberpunk 2077.Grand Theft Auto 5did outdo Fortnite and FIFA 21, at least.
The incredible thing is that the Cayo Perico DLC was released forGrand Theft Auto Onlinefor free. That means that players weren’t paying for the DLC itself, but rather for the currency to purchase all ofGrand Theft Auto Online’s other various microtransactions.
Having accomplished such an impressive record in 2021,Grand Theft Autofans may now see why Rockstar is in no hurry to announceGrand Theft Auto 6. Releasing a new game right now, especially ifGrand Theft Auto 6features its own iteration ofGrand Theft Auto Online, would seriously undercut the ongoing success of theGrand Theft Auto 5online multiplayer. Rockstar’s going to make the most ofGrand Theft Auto Online’s continued success.
Grand Theft Auto Onlineis available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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