GTA 5 has shipped 75 million units, Take-Two Interactive reveals

Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive has revealed that Grand Theft Auto 5 has shipped more than 75 million copies since its initial release in 2013.

"Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online continue to outperform our expectations as they have in every quarter since their release," Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said during an earnings call on Tuesday.

"Grand Theft Auto 5 remains the highest rated game of the current console generation and a must-have title for gamers on both console and PC, with sell-in now surpassing 75 million units."

In November, Take-Two revealed that the game had shipped 70 million copies. It is worth noting that the number of units shipped refers to the number of copies sent to retailers, not how many have been sold on to consumers.

GTA 5 was first released in September 2013 on PS3 and Xbox 360 before versions for PS4 and Xbox One arrived in November 2014. According to data from the NPD Group, GTA 5 was the sixth highest-selling game in terms of both physical and digital sales in the US in 2016 despite the latest version, for PC, releasing in April 2015.

"Grand Theft Auto Online continues to deliver growth in both engagement and bookings with a record number of players in December, driven by the ongoing release of new content," Zelnick said. "During the third quarter, Rockstar Games supported Grand Theft Auto Online with four significant updates, Bikers, Deadline, Import/Export, and Festive Surprise 2016, and has many more planned going forward.

"The sustained performance of Grand Theft Auto 5 and Grand Theft Auto Online is a remarkable achievement and a testimony to Rockstar Games' tireless commitment to excellence, especially since these titles initially launched more than three years ago."

The company noted that fans can expect "many more" free content updates for GTA Online this year.

Take-Two drew in $476.5m in revenue, up 15% from $414.2m (£332m) last year, according to its financial results for the third financial quarter, which ended 31 December 2016. GTA 5, GTA Online, WWE 2K17, NBA 2K17 and Civilization 6 were named the biggest contributors to revenue during the period.