After five years of development under the hands of about 200 people, BioShock Infinite released to universal fanfare in March. Since then, it’s sold more than 3.7 million copies.
In their annual earnings report, Take-Two said that NPD estimates for US retail game sales suggest BioShock was the best-selling console game in March. No similar figures were reported for PC, but I can anecdotally confirm that Dewitt’s visage clogged up the ‘Friends recently bought’ sidebar in my Steam client for a couple of weeks there.
The game “enjoyed significantly higher first month sell-through than any other BioShock release”, the publisher reported.
BioShock brought in more money for Take-Two than anything else in the last three months of the fiscal year, which ended on March 31. Income from digitally delivered content, Steam included, was up 192% from the same period last year, and accounted for 27% of total non-GAAP net revenue, thanks to BioShock, Borderlands 2, the Grand Theft Auto series and NBA 2K13.
BioShock Infinite was listed as one of the “largest contributors” to Take-Two’s revenue across the whole of the last fiscal year, alongside Borderlands 2, Max Payne 3, GTA IV and XCOM: Enemy Unknown.
The company also said that it has seen “solid demand” for the game’s Season Pass, which promises its three announced DLC packs at a reduced price.
It’s fascinating to see the idea of pre-ordering DLC really take hold, first in Borderlands, then in Battlefield, and now here. I think I’d have paid out for a Dishonored season pass, had there been one. What about you? What game would have you laying down cash for as-yet invisible downloads?
Thanks, CVG.