When you think of the most successful game franchise of all time, there is one name that is a serious contender. This is the GTA franchise, arguably the most loved and most successful video game series. From the house of Rockstar Games, GTA, or Grand Theft Auto brilliantly combines the elements of crime, open-world, role-playing, and action genres. We, at Gamecloud Technologies, are admirers of this revolutionary game and wonder what made it so successful. If you want to know the extent of GTA’s popularity, check out the below infographic which shows unit sales of GTA V from 2013 to 2019.
The Journey Begins – GTA 1 and GTA 2
It all began with the first Grand Theft Auto, which was initially released for MS-DOS and Windows, and then later for Playstation and GBC. You play as a criminal whose activities span over three fictionalized versions of American cities of New York (Liberty City), Miami (Vice City), and San Andreas (San Francisco).
Despite getting mixed reviews from critics, GTA was a commercial success and motivated Rockstar to go for a sequel. The sequel titled, GTA 2 came out in 1999 with a new setting in a retro futuristic city. There were not many differences between the two games; however, Rockstar did improve the gameplay considerably.
Landmark Titles – GTA III, GTA: San Andreas, GTA V
Over the years, GTA games have undergone radical transformations through several titles. However, the three games that stand out from the rest are GTA III, GTA: San Andreas, and GTA V.
GTA III came out in 2001 and set the stage for future games by introducing 3-dimensional gameplay and more immersive experience. It is played from a third-person perspective and is set in Liberty City. Many of the features we associate with GTA games like the wanted meter, HUD, respawning at the hospital after dying and others, were introduced in GTA III.
The next groundbreaking game in the series was GTA: San Andreas, which is considered one of the best games of all time. This game made the GTA experience more realistic than ever by introducing many new elements and drawing inspirations from many real-life events. RPG style mechanics, mini-games, and player customization were all presented for the first time and later incorporated in future titles.
GTA V is the latest installment from the series and the most comprehensive of them all. It features three characters, a captivating storyline, an expansive map, and stunning graphics. GTA 5 broke several sales records and is currently the highest-grossing entertainment product of all time, with nearly $6 billion in global revenue.
Reasons for Success
1. Game Quality Assurance
Game Quality is the primary reason for GTA’s success. After the first two installments, Rockstar had established itself as a name to be reckoned with. To maintain their newly earned reputation, improving game quality was their priority. With the arrival of GTA III, we can see striking differences between the new and old titles. As their games became more complex and heavy, so did their quality assurance protocols. Rockstar invested heavily in recruiting talented people in their QA team to maximize quality. At Gamecloud Technologies, we believe that PC game quality should be of paramount importance, a belief that Rockstar shares with us.
2. Compatibility testing
PC game compatibility testing was another concern as PC gamers were an enormous market, and Rockstar wanted to capture as much of it as possible. Their priority was to make their games compatible with low-end PCs that most people used. Until GTA: San Andreas, this issue was not so pressing, but the situation changed with the arrival of bigger games like GTA IV and GTA V, which require powerful computers to run. That is probably the reason why the PC version of GTA V was released nearly two years after the PS3 version was released.
Conclusion
A legendary game franchise like GTA is extremely rare and memorable. The series’ astounding success is a symbol of the power of video games in our lives. For instance, during this current COVID pandemic, where all the industries are facing declining sales, the video games industry is thriving. As more people are staying home, video games provide an amusing way to pass our times. At Gamecloud Technologies, we have always believed that video games are a means for recreation and can also be a life-changing experience.
