Grand Theft Auto's stint as top dog of the mainstream market is over, says Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

"Call of Duty is bigger, and GTA will not maintain its position as the world's biggest mainstream franchise," Pachter told IndustryGamers.

Strauss Zelnick of Take-Two Interactive recently announced the company had shipped 22 million copies of Grand Theft Auto IV since its launch in 2008 (and that the GTA franchise has shipped 114 million copies since its 1997 debut, a figure that includes a staggering 27.5 million copies of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas alone).

Activision recently revealed it has moved just over 23 million copies of Call of Duty: Black Ops in its first nine months. The publisher places the HD install base of the Call of Duty franchise at 74 million.

Source: http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/119/1195490p1.html

Posted: Sep 20, 2011 2:55 pm