Slow GTA IV sales to trouble EA/Take-Two talks?
Title's slower than expected unit sales could impact upon publisher's ongoing acquisition negotiations
NPD data suggests that sales of Grand Theft Auto IV may be foundering against high expectations, with consequences for Take-Two as it argues for a better deal from Electronic Arts, according to CNN Money.
The two publishers are currently in confidential negotiations following a failed attempt at a USD 2 billion acquisition, which Take-Two claimed substantially under-valued the company. The publisher argued that its position was supported by the success of GTA IV, which sales would hit USD 500 million in its first week.
However, NPD Data shows that GTA IV was the 46th best-selling game in August, down from 45th place in July. The slowing sales have caused concerns that, with 8.5 million units sold to date, the title may fail to meet sales expectations.
This comes as software sales results from NPD showed a growth of 13 per cent, much lower than analysts had predicted earlier in the week.