Capcom lost millions on Grand Theft Auto!
Oof! Feeling the pinch of anti-violence gaming.
In amazing news today, Capcom US’s president Bill Gardner has told how the firm passed on the Grand Theft Auto series - without question the hottest game franchise on the planet right now - thereby leaving Take 2 able to laugh all the way to the bank.
Speaking in a recent interview, Gardner, on the eve of his retirement at Capcom said, “I remember one deal that slipped away extremely well. My VP and I were shown a game. I believe it was on the PC at the time, right after we had shipped Resident Evil 2 and were getting a lot of flack from the government about violence in video games. We looked at this game and said to ourselves, "You know, this one is just a bit over the top, and we should probably pass at this time." That game was Grand Theft Auto, GTA 1, as it turned out.”
Ouch.
Hopefully Capcom can recoup some of this missed opportunity by publishing the series in Japan.
It’s also worth pointing out that in the UK at present, both Grand Theft Auto and the GTA London spin-off are available for £4.99 on the Sold Out label, so if you don't already know what all the fuss is about, now's the time to find out.
Speaking in a recent interview, Gardner, on the eve of his retirement at Capcom said, “I remember one deal that slipped away extremely well. My VP and I were shown a game. I believe it was on the PC at the time, right after we had shipped Resident Evil 2 and were getting a lot of flack from the government about violence in video games. We looked at this game and said to ourselves, "You know, this one is just a bit over the top, and we should probably pass at this time." That game was Grand Theft Auto, GTA 1, as it turned out.”
Ouch.
Hopefully Capcom can recoup some of this missed opportunity by publishing the series in Japan.
It’s also worth pointing out that in the UK at present, both Grand Theft Auto and the GTA London spin-off are available for £4.99 on the Sold Out label, so if you don't already know what all the fuss is about, now's the time to find out.
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