SuperData: GTA 5 will generate $206 million from digital content in first year

SuperData Research predicts that Grand Theft Auto 5 will earn distributor Take-Two Interactive $206 million from digital content alone in the next 12 months.

Today publisher Rockstar Games launched Grand Theft Auto Online, the multiplayer component of Grand Theft Auto 5, which earned $1 billion in three days. An extra $206 million will come from downloadable-content packs (DLC) and in-game real-money purchases, or microtransactions, according to SuperData.

Take-Two can expect to rake in about $165 million from DLC and $41 million from microtransactions in the game's first year. Over five years? SuperData estimates $344 million from DLC and $93 million from microtransactions.

"Take-Two is testing the microtransaction waters with a player base that may be largely unfamiliar with them," SuperData wrote on its blog. "It’s also introducing it in a game environment that, unlike an MMO, does not require in-game items to progress. GTA’s microtransactions will merely let players acquire items faster, so the conversion rate will be lower than free-to-play games."

Two-Two's projected install base is 20-plus million strong.