Further GTA/Rockstar Notes

GTA Vice City sold an unexpected 15 million copies on the PS2.
GTA San Andreas sold 14.2 million
GTA 3 sold 11.6 million copies
This string of success makes GTA the most successful game series to ever be released on the PS2 platform.
GTA 3 Was the most successful video game in 2001. It went on to win "Game of the Year 2002" and "Excellence in Game Design" awards at the GDCA

GTA Vice City was the biggest selling game in 2002. GTA 3 came 2nd.

GTA has consitently been the most controversial series in gaming history. Jack Thomson has tried, unsuccessfully, to link the games to Real-Life murders and in Sep06 filed a lawsuit of "wrongful death" against Take-Two, Rockstars parent company, Following a Shooting spree by a 16 year-old.

San Andreas was the fastest selling game ever in the UK, selling 1 million copies in 9 days. $_$

GTA  was the first game to be recognised by ELSPA after selling 1million copies in the UK

GTA holds the record for the largest in game soundtrack. 11 stations, each with a DJ and 156 licensed tracks. The soundtrack was made available for purchase in 2004 as an 8 CD box-set. The songs are also available for digital online via amazon, itunes, etc
(Merchandising/Convergence)

Tyrone McMillan was sentenced to 7 years inprisonment after a 55 minute car chase through New York, inspired by GTA

Vice City was heavily influenced by Scarface and other Gangster movies

In May 2007 Rockstar announced a limited number of permitted Pre-orders on the GTA 4 Special Edition, which was only £70 and included a safe deposit box made of metal, which contained:
A key ring
Duffle bag
Artwork
Sound track
and ps3/360 copy of the game.
(Merchandising, Synergy) 

San Andreas has 339 voice actors, more than any other game. Fifty of these, are important to the story. One of these actors was Samuel L Jackson (Die Hard with a vengeance, star wars prequels etc)
Axl Rose (Guns 'n' Roses) and Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs) have also played parts.

San  Andreas is the largest game in the series, covering 17 miles[2], 3 cities 12 towns and a lot of countryside.

GTA 4 was the first game to include a virtual version of a real comedian, Ricky Gervais (The Office, Cemetery Junction/).
GTA 4 has 18 radio stations and 214 tracks
GTA 4 has 861 voice actors, 174 of which play named characters. Most of the 687 where fans who volunteered to do small parts of NPCS around the city.

Over 4000 news stories about GTA have been released since 2008 accusing it of "glamorizing violence"

GTA 4 is rumored to have cost 100 million USDollars to make $_$

World-Wide Sales of GTA:
San Andreas = 21.5 Mil
Vice City = 17.5 Mil
GTA 3 = 14.5 Mil
GTA 4 = 10.5 Mil
Libeety City Stories = 8.25 Mil
$_$