Sony Group Corp. SONY stared down a major threat in 2001 when Microsoft Corp.'s SONY Xbox was about to launch.
To maintain a competitive edge in the console war, Sony targeted exclusivity agreements with key third-party developers. One of the most significant deals was with Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. TTWO, the parent company of Rockstar Games, the studio behind Grand Theft Auto 3.
“We were worried when we saw Xbox coming,” Chris Deering, former head of PlayStation Europe, told GamesIndustry.biz. “We knew exclusivity was the name of the game in a lot of fields, like Sky TV with sports.”
Sony offered Take-Two a two-year exclusive deal to keep the next Grand Theft Auto games on PlayStation.
The Impact Of Grand Theft Auto 3 On Sony Success
The deal proved to be a game-changer. Grand Theft Auto 3, which launched as a PlayStation 2 exclusive in October 2001, became an unexpected phenomenon. “It was very lucky for us,” Deering said. “And actually lucky for them, because they got a discount on the royalty they paid.” For Rockstar, the move paid off, and Grand Theft Auto 3 helped cement the PlayStation 2’s dominance.
The game's transition to a 3D open world was revolutionary, and it quickly became one of the best-selling titles on the console. When the game hit PC in 2002 and Xbox in 2003, its influence was already undeniable.
The Grand Theft Auto Legacy And The Shift To Cross-Platform
Following GTA 3, Vice City and San Andreas were released as PlayStation 2 exclusives and became major hits, with San Andreas becoming the best-selling PS2 game. These games solidified Grand Theft Auto as a PlayStation franchise, even as later releases made their way to Xbox.
Today, Grand Theft Auto is still linked with Sony, but the upcoming Grand Theft Auto 6 will release on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S in 2025. With no confirmed exclusivity deals, this marks a shift away from the platform-specific strategy of the past.
Sony's strategic push for exclusivity with Grand Theft Auto played a key role in defining the PlayStation 2's success. As Deering put it, "Deals like this were essential to ensuring that one console could stand apart from the competition." This early move helped shape the gaming world as we know it.
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