How Many Copies of the Classic GTA: Trilogy Were Sold in Japan at Launch
OPla G
24 Sep 21:30
25
0Although not exactly fresh (the data is 20 years old), an interesting report on Capcom sales figures has surfaced. The Japanese company is best known for developing video games in such iconic series as Street Fighter, Resident Evil, Monster Hunter, and many others. Capcom also publishes third-party titles — and that’s how six installments of Grand Theft Auto, from GTA III through GTA IV, were released in Japan.
For the local market, Capcom handled the release of the original GTA: Trilogy, a process that often took a lot of time. For example, the Japanese version of GTA III was announced on June 18, 2003 (press release) and launched three months later. Depending on the game and platform, the gap from the initial release could stretch from six months to two years or more. This was due to the lengthy and costly process of localizing large titles at the time, combined with Japan’s unusual censorship rules (which sometimes led not only to cuts but also to unique, exclusive content).
Right after hitting store shelves in Japan, official sales passed 1.1 million copies:
- GTA: San Andreas — 430,000 in just a week and two months at the start of 2005;
- GTA: Vice City — 390,000 from May 2004 to March 2005;
- GTA 3 — 290,000 over one week and three months at the end of 2003.
