Sony Wanted GTA Exclusivity for PlayStation 2 Because It Was Worried About Xbox

Sony was determined to secure exclusive rights for Grand Theft Auto (GTA) on PlayStation 2 at all costs. The reason? To gain a competitive edge over Xbox, which was quickly becoming a serious threat. It was the early 2000s, and Sony’s concern led them to heavily invest in securing exclusive titles.

This wasn’t just speculation; Chris Deering, the former president of PlayStation Europe, revealed this in an interview with Gamesindustry.biz, where he discussed why PlayStation pursued an exclusivity deal for GTA 3, GTA: Vice City, and GTA: San Andreas.

Sony’s Strategic Focus on Exclusivity

“We were worried when we saw Xbox coming,” Deering explained. “We knew exclusivity was the name of the game in a lot of fields, like Sky TV with sports. Just as Christmas was approaching when Xbox would launch, a few of us went out to our favourite third-party publishers and developers, and we asked them, ‘How would you like a special deal if you keep your next generation game on PlayStation exclusive for a two-year period?’ And one of the deals we made was with Take-Two for the next three Grand Theft Auto games.”

At the time, the success of Grand Theft Auto 3 wasn’t guaranteed. The series had previously been viewed from a top-down perspective, and its shift to a 3D open-world format was uncharted territory. Despite the uncertainty, Deering acknowledged that the deal paid off massively for Sony.

The Payoff for PlayStation

“It was very lucky for us,” Deering admitted. “And actually lucky for them, because they got a discount on the royalty they paid.”

While the GTA games eventually made their way to Xbox, they had already become some of the best-selling titles in PlayStation 2 history. San Andreas, in particular, went on to become the console’s best-seller. Vice City ranked third, and GTA 3 was fifth. GTA 3 and Vice City launched on Xbox in 2003, while San Andreas made its Xbox debut in 2005.