Take Two have announced their fourth quarter and fiscal 2003 financial results. Those are usually boring affairs with details of sales and expenses. One interesting result is that the company increased net sales by 31 per cent in 2003, over 2002. This basically means that Take Two have now passed the USD 1 million mark, in net sales. The exciting part of such announcements is usually the one labelled, Future Publishing Highlights.
In that section Take Two reported that their star label, Rockstar Games whose San Diego division will revive and take a stab at Capcom's Red Dead Revolver, a game which had been cancelled back in August.
Rockstar San Diego are the developers responsible for the Midnight Club and Smuggler's Run franchises and have big plans for the Western, a genre which has not yet succeeded in video games. Red Dead Revolver, will be treated as a major new franchise by Rockstar Games, which means that no expense has been spared in its production. The game, described as an arcade-style, third person gun-fighting extravaganza by Take Two, is intended for release on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox in the second fiscal quarter of 2004.
We are excited to announce this astounding new franchise which portrays one of the most fascinating periods of time in American history, said Sam Houser, President of Rockstar Games. Red Dead Revolver is Rockstar Games' first foray into the wild west and the Rockstar production team is eager to deliver an engaging and visually stunning experience that pays homage to this era.
With this game, we have pushed ourselves technically, stylistically and gameplay wise further than ever before, said Diego Angel, President of Rockstar San Diego. We are aiming to make a western experience that sparks memories of the past as well as looks forward with an inventive new approach.
Additionally the Rockstar/Capcom cooperation, will progress even further with the expected March release of Grand Theft Auto: Vice City for PlayStation 2 and PC in Japan, under a license agreement between the two companies.
As previously announced, Rockstar also expects to introduce The Warriors, a new title based on the Paramount Pictures feature film. The release date of the title has been moved from the second fiscal quarter to the third fiscal quarter of 2004. Additional Rockstar products planned for fiscal 2004 include the next installment in the Grand Theft Auto franchise, which will be released in the fourth fiscal quarter of 2004. Rockstar also plans to release Manhunt for Xbox and the PC as well as an extension of the Grand Theft Auto franchise for the Game Boy Advance during 2004.
