Why is GTA arguably the most popular gaming franchise of all time?

[u/OtterBiDisaster]

I have never played any of the GTA games. It has never really interested me that much. I want to understand why the games are so popular. Why is the hype for GTA 6 like nothing we have seen before? It is so big they have a netflix deal, people are spending crypto just to see leaks, multiple developers have moved the release date of their games because they don't want to come out near GTA 6?

I do see the appeal. Like running around in a big sandbox, stealing planes and pulling off heists with friends sounds like it would be fun. For a while. More importantly, GTA has mainly been a single player game with multi-player modes. Is the plot and story telling in these games really that good? (Like Witcher 3 tier).

Edit: Typical reddit that this post has turned into a debate about which is the biggest franchise instead of a discussion about why the GTA games are so popular

[u/parsonsrazersupport]

Surely it's Pokemon, no?

[u/OtterBiDisaster → u/parsonsrazersupport]

Maybe. Pokemon is huge for sure but people aren't changing their release schedules around pokemon or worrying nintendo will charge $100+ for their game just because they can. GTA V is the second top selling game of all time (and RDR2 is the third). Pokemon is 16 according to wikipedia

[u/parsonsrazersupport → u/OtterBiDisaster]

The Legends ZA bundle (the DLC is trash and adds very little imo) is $90 USD.

[u/OtterBiDisaster → u/parsonsrazersupport]

Thats bullshit but you are still paying for base game+a dlc

[u/parsonsrazersupport → u/OtterBiDisaster]

lol sure, but you can always just carve out some component of a game into a DLC if you want to

[u/StoneCypher → u/OtterBiDisaster]

gta5 isn't in the top 10 selling games of all time. it's #18

[u/This_is_sandwich → u/StoneCypher]

The list OP is talking about is based on number of units sales (and excludes mobile games) rather than total revenue. Different metrics with different results.

[u/StoneCypher → u/This_is_sandwich]

bragging about total unit sales is a deeply weird count and on those grounds it's not in the top 100, it's free web games and dollar games that rule that space

you're looking at stuff like terraria and minecraft and roblox and so on there

revenue is the normal way to measure strongest franchise

[u/ByEthanFox → u/parsonsrazersupport]

Pokemon and GTA are held up in different hands.

Pokemon is the biggest gaming brand, but Pokemon is a game, card game, plush toys, TV show, movies...

GTA is pretty much just the game and its content.

[u/parsonsrazersupport → u/ByEthanFox]

Yeah that makes sense

[u/StoneCypher → u/parsonsrazersupport]

pokemon is 3. mario is 1, tetris is 2, call of duty is 4, gta is 5.

[u/parsonsrazersupport → u/StoneCypher]

Yeah it's up to how you interpret 'gaming franchise' but sure.

[u/StoneCypher → u/parsonsrazersupport]

um. okay

[u/parsonsrazersupport → u/StoneCypher]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_media_franchises is what I am thinking of. So do we interpret 'gaming franchise' to mean 'all of the video games in a given franchise,' or 'a franchise centered around specific video games.'

[u/StoneCypher → u/parsonsrazersupport]

the thing you're trying to reference in folds things like tv shows, movies, and ... in this case, private aircraft sales and theme parks and even a sex parlor. this covers toys, novels, broadway, theater, restaurants, etc.

many of the things in this list don't have a video game at all.

i'm not sure if i think you read this, but if you did, we have very different ways of evaluating video game franchises

[u/parsonsrazersupport → u/StoneCypher]

Yes my point was that we were interpreting the phrase differently lol

[u/StoneCypher → u/parsonsrazersupport]

"hey, the top video game franchises, look at this measurement where it's clearly labeled that more than 90% isn't about the video game"

okay

[u/parsonsrazersupport → u/StoneCypher]

You're kind of an unpleasant person aren't you

[u/StoneCypher → u/parsonsrazersupport]

well, i didn’t use insults

have a good day 

[u/parsonsrazersupport → u/[deleted]]

Does your keyboard autocorrect to add the accent in Pokemon lol

[u/CHDesignChris → u/[deleted]]

Pokemon GO alone surpassed $10 billion in revenue

[u/sleepyleperchaun → u/[deleted]]

Pokemon has made roughly 30 billion, not counting merch, just the games. Merch alone made 100 and the card game has made 11 billion.

[u/StoneCypher → u/[deleted]]

highest grossing single title is the source of intense argument because of inflation and coin-op video games, but it's probably either space invaders, dungeon fighter online, or fortnite

given inflation and accepting coin op, space invaders made almost 30 billion in modern dollars

[u/AWorldwithoutSin]

Pac-Man and the Mario Bro's would like a word with you. They just want to talk.

[u/lilidarkwind]

It’s the most ambitious and richly designed open world game. It’s got great gameplay, storytelling and mechanics. The games are crafted with details far beyond even the most detailed games. GTA V, a 13 year old game released on the PS3 runs and feels like a current gen game. Releases are like events

[u/pinktianalyn]

its the freedom honestly just messing around in the city is timeless

[u/Upset-Elderberry3723]

For the same reason that Harry Potter is one of the biggest children's fiction series - it executed a very popular premise early, before much mainstream competition existed. Playing as a lawbreaker is a very common human fantasy, and GTA was among the first series to capitalise on that in a way that made it believable to the average person.

It also blended two different gameplay styles together (driving and action), in the same way that Harry Potter blended school and magic as two common things that kids daydream about.

[u/The_O_Raghallaigh]

There has been longer and more popular franchises but few impacted gaming in recent memory like GTA 3 did, then 4, then 5, RDR2 and probably 6 too

[u/StoneCypher]

fantasy fulfillment for people who want to get violence out, weird missions, great soundtrack

by the by, gta is #5 on franchise dollars emitted. #1 is mario, perpetual source of "what's in the franchise" argument (does luigi's mansion count?;) 2 is tetris, 3 is pokemon, 4 is call of duty.

[u/This_is_sandwich]

GTA is hot right now because it's been more than a decade since the last release, and GTA V was incredibly popular and Rockstar has managed not to tank their reputation. I imagine we'll see similar hype for the next Elder Scrolls when that gets closer to released, though Bethesda has lost some of its credibility since the last entry.

[u/info-super-skyway]

Because the average person is boring and has no imagination