GTA IV: Huge Sales, Big Controversy

GTA IV Screenshots The reviews for Grand Theft Auto IV have been very good - see here, here, here, here and here. CNN reports that sales are expected to be huge - $400 million in the first week. The game may even dent Iron Man’s box office take.

The answer could come this weekend when video game enthusiasts find out whether “Grand Theft Auto IV,” expected to set sales records in the gaming world this week, will steal glory and revenue from a different entertainment empire: the movies.

As the hype for “GTA IV” continues to grow and reviews scream perfection, some speculate that the game will put a dent in Marvel Studios’ opening weekend box office for “Iron Man.”

“GTA IV” is the ninth incarnation of a video game in which the user acts as a criminal roaming a city. The series has faced criticism for being too violent, because users are allowed to beat, stab, shoot and kill citizens and police officers. “Iron Man” is a movie based on the Marvel comic book superhero who creates an impressive suit of armor to save his life and help save the world.

“GTA IV” was released Tuesday at midnight and is expected to gross about $400 million in the first week.

Surely GTA IV gamers will take a break to see Iron Man? Reviewers are applauding the game and gamers are engaging in hours-long GTA IV play but not everyone is pleased with the new game. MADD has already come out against the game. They are angry about a drunk driving scene in the game.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is the latest group to join the fray, criticizing a sequence in the game that allows players to drive drunk. The group has asked the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB), which sets the ratings for video games, to change the rating from M for “Mature” to AO for “Adults Only.” An AO rating is generally considered a kiss of death for games, as major electronics retailers refuse to carry AO-rated games.

“Drunk driving is not a game and it is not a joke,” MADD said in a statement this week. “Drunk driving is a choice, a violent crime and it is also 100 percent preventable.”

MADD likely won’t the last organization to complain about the game and call for an AO ratings upgrade. GTA IV thrives on controversy and hype so while MADD has a valid concern this will probably only help sales of game. The hype is huge enough that even The Daily Show weighed in. The only thing that might hurt sales is how annoying and widespread these reported glitches turn out to be.

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