- England captain Stokes back from injury for second Pakistan Test
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as markets rally
- Shanghai stocks gain after stimulus briefing as Asian markets rally
- South Korea military says 'fully ready' as drone flights anger North
- Pakistan 'vigilantes' behind rise in online blasphemy cases
- Nearly 90, but opera legend Kabaivanska is still calling tune
- Smith experiment as Test opener over, Green out of India series
- With inflation down, ECB eyes faster tempo of rate cuts
- Is life possible on a Jupiter moon? NASA goes to investigate
- Dodgers crush Mets 9-0 in MLB playoff series opener
- South Korea military says 'fully ready' as drone tensions soar
- Cummins back, Marsh and Head out of Pakistan ODI series
- Shanghai stocks swing after stimulus briefing as most of Asia rises
- New Zealand's Latham promises 'no fear' as he takes charge for India Tests
- Kyrgios vows to 'shut up' doubters with December comeback
- Public hearings start into death of Brit by Russian nerve agent
- Ex-Stasi officer faces verdict over 1974 Berlin border killing
- Role of government, poverty research tipped for economics Nobel
- 'Stolen satire' feeds US election misinformation
- Rookie McCarty captures first PGA Tour title in Black Desert Championship
- Australia all-rounder Green ruled out of India Test series
- Seeing double in Nigeria's 'twins capital of the world'
- UK FM to attend EU foreign affairs talks for first time in 2 years
- Carter, Billups among 13 new Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- Ravens rip Commanders as Lions lose NFL sacks leader in win
- Hezbollah drone strike kills four, wounds dozens at Israeli base
- China says launches military drills around Taiwan
- Stewart leads Liberty past Lynx to level WNBA Finals
- England return to winning ways in Nations League, Austria thrash Norway
- UN chief says attacks on UNIFIL 'may constitute a war crime'
- Ravens outlast Commanders while Bucs batter Saints in NFL
- Dozens hurt in Israel as Hezbollah claims drone strike
- England deserve 'world class' coach: Carsley
- Burkina Faso win to become first qualifiers for 2025 AFCON
- AC Milan's Pulisic among five out for USA match in Mexico
- France's Amandine Henry retires from international football
- Centre-left set to win pro-Ukraine Lithuania's vote
- India's World Cup hopes in Pakistan hands after Australia defeat
- Zelensky says NKorea sending troops to Russian army
- England beat Finland to get back on track
- King and Lewis propel West Indies to T20 triumph over Sri Lanka
- Pre-Halloween 'Terrifier' lands atop North America box office
- 'I still plan to compete and play next season,' says Djokovic
- Harris, Trump seek advantage in knife-edge election battle
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record in Chicago
- Kamindu and Asalanka power Sri Lanka to 179 against West Indies
- Chepngetich shatters women's marathon world record as Korir wins in Chicago
- Spain send injured Yamal home 'to prioritise player's health'
- In milestone, SpaceX 'catches' megarocket booster after test flight
- Iraq walks fine line with pro-Iran factions to avoid war
Grand Theft Auto: built for the long haul
In a video game industry known for cranking out sequels, Rockstar Games has cashed in big by making "Grand Theft Auto" fans painfully wait for their next fix of the shoot 'em up blockbuster.
It has been a decade since GTA V hit the streets and Rockstar's earlier-than-expected release of the first trailer of the game's sequel sent fans into an ecstatic online frenzy.
Awaiting the 90-second video, a member of a Reddit forum devoted to the game posted a modified photo of Pope Francis reverentially holding up Rockstar's trailer message.
"It feels like I don't deserve to witness such a monumental moment," wrote another of the Reddit forum's 193,000 members.
Still, according to the trailer, they will have to wait until 2025 before living out the gangster life in the game's fictional Vice City.
Rockstar fuels player fervor by keeping quiet on everything about an upcoming game's progress as well as staying mute on details like setting, characters or features.
The company also has a history of letting the creative development of the game dictate when it is released, rather than promising a specific date that teams have to scramble to make.
"They've never announced a date for their games, which also saves them from eventually having to reschedule them" if development doesn't progress as planned, Moody's Investors Services vice president Neil Begley said of Rockstar.
"They have this freedom, and it makes sense to avoid damaging the brand," he added.
Installments of GTA and Rockstar's Read Dead Redemption are among the best-selling games of all time, bringing in billions of dollars.
Rockstar parent Take-Two Interactive reports having sold nearly 79 million copies of Red Dead Redemption and more than 400 million copies of GTA over the lives of the franchises.
More than 190 million copies of GTA V have sold worldwide since its release in late 2013, a sales volume second only to Minecraft.
Part of the success is that both franchises are set in open worlds where players can adventure as they please rather than having to follow scripted storylines.
"There's always something to discover, something strange or interesting to interact with," said Rockstar North studio head Aaron Garbut.
"It's not a huge empty world; we think about the positioning of every single tree."
Some analysts expect GTA VI to use artificial intelligence to make "non-player characters" more realistic and interactive, something that seemed possible given the improved graphics seen in the trailer.
- Multiplayer magnetism -
A turning point in keeping players loyal to Rockstar games has been an online multiplayer option that lets people cavort together in virtual worlds.
Online play is free with the purchase of a game, and Rockstar continually adds missions and more.
"There is a lot going on between launches, a lot of downloadable content; things that renew the game on a regular basis," Begley said of GTA.
Players can also spend money to personalize in-game content, like a snazzy car.
In GTA, players know exactly what they are buying as opposed to games in which players take a chance to buy "loot boxes," only finding out what is inside after opening them.
"They've stayed away from loot boxes, which is probably a smart thing to do," said IDC research director of gaming Lewis Ward.
"Once you get towards something that approaches gambling, there are a lot of laws that come into play."
GTA V has brought in more than $8.5 billion since its release, according to earnings results posted by Take-Two.
The updates are credited with bringing in $500 million in revenue annually, according to data published as part of a lawsuit filed by a former Rockstar executive disputing royalty payments.
ActivePlayer.io estimates that nearly 22 million people monthly tap into GTA Online servers.
And most of the money spent in the game is profit for Take-Two given their low cost to produce digital loot.
In the end, everyone "can get the same goods over time -- it is just a case of earning it through hard work or purchasing it," Wedbush video game analyst Nick McKay told AFP.
"One of the Golden Rules in gaming is you don’t separate the haves and have-nots."
S.F.Warren--AMWN