The “Break it Down” Blog

There was a rumor flying around earlier this week that GTA 4 on XBox 360 would be somewhat episodic in nature. Some people guessed it was due to the size limitation of DVDs on the XBox 360 while the PS3 version would be able to easily fit the game and all additional extra material.

The problem is, the XBox 360 will likely have content for GTA 4 that the PS3 will never get, because Microsoft paid $50 million for the two followup episodes for GTA 4 that are planned. Part of the rumor is that some of that content is already going to the PS3, but I doubt it… maybe a smidgen of it, but if Microsoft paid $50 million for it exclusively, you better believe the PS3 isn’t going to see that content or Microsoft will likely sue Rockstar until they die.

Update #1: More scoop from Laurence Hartje

Evan Wilson – Pacific Crest Securities

Thank you. And as it relates to the deferred revenue chunk associated with the episodic content on X-Box 360, you can see that $25 million of that moved into short-term deferred. Could you give us any sense of when that’s going to hit the P&L? Will we see $25 million at one time and then the second 25 or will it be a slow bleed?

Lainie Goldstein

The first 25 is for the first episodic content package that’s supposed to go out and that is in March of ‘08. That’s why it moved into current because it’s in the next 12 months. The second 25 will be for the second episodic, the episode, and that will be later in fiscal ‘08.