The latest edition of the video game – which costs around £42 – has sold more than £624 million ($1 billion) worth of copies in just three days. In a statement, Take-Two Interactive Software, said: “Grand Theft Auto V, the critically acclaimed latest release from the iconic interactive entertainment series, has achieved worldwide retail sales of more than one billion dollars during its first three days on sale, according to company estimates. “We believe this marks the fastest that any entertainment property, including video games and feature films, has reached this significant milestone.” Strauss Zelnick, chairman of Take-Two, said: “Grand Theft Auto is a cultural phenomenon and Rockstar Games continues to redefine what can be achieved in interactive entertainment. “We are incredibly proud of the extraordinary critical and commercial response to Grand Theft Auto V.” The game, which was developed in Edinburgh, is available for the PlayStation3 and Xbox 360. It allows players to take on the role of a criminal in a fictional American city, Los Santos. Gamers have to complete various missions which include driving, shooting and racing, as well as stealing weapons, holding up cars and killing police. The Grand Theft Auto series first appeared on the original PlayStation and on PCs in 1997. The fifth instalment was released on Tuesday to critical acclaim, with one calling it the “the best video games ever made”. It took more than five years to develop and cost around £170 million, making it the most expensive ever produced. More than 1.5 million copies were sold on the first day of release in the UK. However the 18-rated game, which includes depictions of murder, cannibalism and torture, has also been condemned for its violence. Human rights groups have specifically expressed concern at one scene in which the player must pull out the teeth and electrocute and unarmed man. Three teenagers arrested after a man was stabbed and robbed of his Grand Theft Auto V game in Colindale, north London on Tuesday have been charged with robbery and inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent. The youths, aged 14, 15 and 17, are due to appear at Hendon Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
