Other game companies have improved on this idea over the years, led by Roblox ( RBLX -1.71%) and its reasonably liquid Robux currency. The so-called Shark Cards are changing hands in online marketplaces like eBay, often for less than half of Rockstar's official prices. One-hundred thousand dollars of GTA 5 cash costs $3, and an $8 million game-cash infusion will run you $100 in actual dollars. This system is tied to real-world dollars because you can always buy a lot of game money for a little bit of cold, hard cash.

Players can invest in-game cash and earn or lose their (often ill-earned) money over time. GTA 5 includes a simplified stock market with about 80 tickers spread across two stock exchanges. Taking that next big step is quite a challenge, but the rumor mill whispers that Take-Two may be up to that task. 'We look forward to sharing more as soon as we are ready.' 'Our goal is always to significantly move beyond what we have previously delivered,' the development studio said at the time. Last February, Take-Two confirmed that its Rockstar Games studio is actively working on the next installment of the Grand Theft Auto series. Whenever Take-Two gets around to releasing the next tentpole title in this dominant franchise, you can bet that it will break records and set standards. You can't leave them hanging forever, even if the current title continues to sell well. Gamers are hungry for the next helping of Grand Theft Auto, of course.

Yes, that's nine years after the original launch. According to data from, GTA 5 was the biggest-selling game title in Europe in August 2022. Even now, nine years later, GTA 5 remains one of Take-Two's most important and profitable titles. Grand Theft Auto 5 ( GTA 5) is the second best-selling video game of all time, shifting 165 million units since its release in 2013.

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