Red Dead Redemption sells loads
Take-Two "has strongest IP portfolio in biz".
Open world cowboy game Red Dead Redemption has "sold in" over 6.9 million units worldwide, Take-Two has revealed.
The Rockstar Games title, which launched on 18th May, was "the key factor" in a strong quarter for the US company.
Strong sales of Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, Grand Theft Auto IV, NBA 2K10 and Borderlands also helped.
GTA Chinatown Wars, due out in HD on the iPad in November, "sold in" more than 2.2 million units worldwide.
Net revenue for the third quarter ending 31st July was $354.1 million, a sharp increase compared to the $94.9 million reported for the same quarter of fiscal 2009.
It all made for a $12.4 million third quarter profit.
"We now expect to achieve one of the paramount goals this management team set on day one: to operate the company profitably in a year without a new Grand Theft Auto release, said Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick in a conference call.
"This will mark the first time in nearly a decade the company has been able to accomplish that goal. We've always believed this was an achievable objective for Take-Two, and through the hard work of all of our colleagues, we're poised to reach that milestone.
"We're well on the way to creating a new Take-Two, one that can deliver performance from a diverse portfolio of world class titles.
"While there's understandably strong interest in the timing of our next Grand Theft Auto title, we've shown that our business is about much more than that iconic brand.
"In addition to our Grand Theft Auto franchise, the industry standard bearer, our portfolio now includes Red Dead Redemption, BioShock, Borderlands, NBA 2K, Midnight Club, Sid Meier's Civilisation and Carnival Games.
"We believe that Take-Two now has the strongest intellectual property portfolio in the business, and that portfolio translates into profits."
The company expects Mafia II, released last week, to be profitable, comments that fly in the face of analyst Michael Pachter, who predicted otherwise. New downloadable content packs for BioShock 2 and Borderlands should also ensure healthy numbers, Take-Two said.
The publisher will also release Red Dead Redemption in Japan, where it expects big numbers.
Who needs Grand Theft Auto V?