Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick, in a one-hour earnings call this week, said "The folks at Rockstar Games intended to create a powerful single-player experience and a story-driven experience... and then developed in addition, a massive multiplayer opportunity over the past years."
This seems to indicate that, much like they did with Grand Theft Auto 5, Rockstar Games will focus on single-player games first (remember that they did not expect GTA Online to become the juggernaut success that it has) and then look to expand them with multiplayer options
GTA 5 Still Sells At A Record Pace
Last year, GTA 5 and GTA Online both set new sales and activity records. While GTA 5 has sold over 140 million copies across two generations of home consoles and PC of course, ten million of those units were sold since May 2020. In 2020, the game sold more copies than any other year except than in 2013, when GTA 5 was first released on the PS3 and Xbox 360. In 2013, the game sold 32.5 million copies.
component, GTA Online, has also continued to break milestones since its launch. According to Take-Two, the game had more players each month in 2020 than any other month since launch, had the highest participation rate from both new and old players returning to the game, and its revenue was up 28% year-over-year.