Vitor Gameday@vitor.gameday

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Grand Theft Auto 1997 cover art

It's easy to forget that before the massive 3D open-world series took over, Grand Theft Auto was just a top-down crime game from DMA Design back in 1997. The original title brought dynamic vehicle gameplay to city environments where cars, police vehicles, and pedestrians were all moving around, even if the physics were simpler than what we see today. That basic freedom to steal cars, drive them around, and cause chaos is exactly what laid the foundation for everything that followed. Looking at the numbers, sales hit over 630,000 copies by October 1998, then shipments crossed the 1 million unit mark by November 1998. By October 1999, total sales had climbed to 3.5 million, and approximately 6 million units were sold by March 2001. Take-Two reported that GTA accounted for 7.6% of company revenue for the year ending October 1998, with industry estimates placing the game's revenue at around £25 million. While that figure isn't directly comparable to modern publisher reporting standards, it shows how quickly this simple concept grew into something huge. #GrandTheftAuto

1w

Vitor Gameday@vitor.gameday

Follow

Grand Theft Auto 1997 cover art

It's easy to forget that before the massive 3D open-world series took over, Grand Theft Auto was just a top-down crime game from DMA Design back in 1997. The original title brought dynamic vehicle gameplay to city environments where cars, police vehicles, and pedestrians were all moving around, even if the physics were simpler than what we see today. That basic freedom to steal cars, drive them around, and cause chaos is exactly what laid the foundation for everything that followed. Looking at the numbers, sales hit over 630,000 copies by October 1998, then shipments crossed the 1 million unit mark by November 1998. By October 1999, total sales had climbed to 3.5 million, and approximately 6 million units were sold by March 2001. Take-Two reported that GTA accounted for 7.6% of company revenue for the year ending October 1998, with industry estimates placing the game's revenue at around £25 million. While that figure isn't directly comparable to modern publisher reporting standards, it shows how quickly this simple concept grew into something huge. #GrandTheftAuto

1w