“GTA 6” has to follow one of the bestselling video games of all time

The predecessor of “GTA 6” was just behind “Tetris” and “Minecraft” in all-time sales.

2/10/25 11:20AM

Amid a postpandemic hangover for the wider industry, video game makers are taking a leaf out of Hollywood’s playbook, hoping that sequels and reboots can propel the industry back to growth.

Strategy heavy “Civilization VII” is out officially tomorrow, Medieval favorite “Kingdom Come: Deliverance II” hit the (mostly digital) shelves a week ago, and the OG “The Sims” will be rereleased in celebration of the franchise’s 25th anniversary.

But none of those high-profile games carry the weight of expectation that “Grand Theft Auto 6” will shoulder when it debuts this fall. Even just the confirmation that the game will come out this year was enough for the share price of owner Take-Two Interactive to soar last week.

Predicted to make $3.2 billion in sales in its first 12 months, the latest of the “GTA” series will easily be the biggest debut of the year, following after its predecessor, which sold 210 million copies, ranking as the third-most-sold video game of all time according to data compiled by GameSpot.

Given how much the industry has moved on since “GTA 5,” breaking into this top 10 and unseating classics like the “Super Mario” series from Nintendo — games that were often bundled with the company’s popular hardware products — will be a monumental task. Indeed, as the supply of video games has exploded, even megahits like Microsoft’s open-world game “Minecraft” have topped out at roughly 300 million sales, which is why iconic block-sorting game “Tetris” is likely to top this list for decades.

Consoling

Gaming companies have been reporting lackluster earnings in February: a disappointing outlook from Roblox pushed its shares down on Thursday, Electronic Arts’ “EA Sports FC 25” is underwhelming gamers, and Nintendo’s Switch sales are slipping, too.

Hyunsoo Rim

appy birthday

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Apple is turning 50 today and it doesn’t look a thing like its younger self

From Macs to iPods, iPhones, and now services, here’s how Apple’s business has looked every 10 years.

The entrance of Allbirds seen from Hayes St. in San Francisco, Calif.

Allbirds, the once buzzy multibillion-dollar sneaker startup, is selling up for $39 million

That’s less than 1% of its peak market cap about four years ago.

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JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.