5 Things You Didn’t Know: Grand Theft Auto

The 2008 release of Grand Theft Auto IV turned the video game industry on its head, as it broke sales records and made headlines. The successful Grand Theft Auto (GTA) franchise has 10 games for different systems, and while controversial for its violent and sexual content, the games remain hugely popular.

Worldwide, Grand Theft Auto games have sold more than 70 million copies, which makes them the fifth highest-selling game franchise ever. More than six million copies of Grand Theft Auto IV were sold in its first week on store shelves, with sales totals in excess of $500 million.

Now that we’ve hashed out some of the more commonly known stats, here are five things you didn’t know about Grand Theft Auto as a whole:

1- Phil Collins did voice work for Grand Theft Auto

You might not associate Phil Collins with video games, but the former Genesis front man is just one of dozens of celebrities who’ve leant their talents to Grand Theft Auto. Some others to contribute include Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Liotta, Michael Madsen, Iggy Pop, Lawrence Taylor, Peter Fonda, Ice-T, Burt Reynolds, and Axl Rose. Within this entry of five things you didn’t know about Grand Theft Auto is the buried fact that GTA was one of the first video game franchises to recruit celebs for voiceover work.

2- Grand Theft Auto talks a lot of sh!t

In the video game equivalent of hip-hop battling, Grand Theft Auto has traded jabs with games it accuses of copying its format. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, for example mocks Activision’s True Crime with a billboard that reads “True Grime” and pictures a garbage truck. Grand Theft Auto III pokes fun at Driver, another similar game, and its main character Tanner. The Grand Theft Auto game features a mission called “Two Faced Tanner” that requires the player to kill a Tanner look-alike who walks like a female.

Grand Theft Auto’s attacks were rumored to include Hillary Clinton in retaliation for her denouncement of video game violence. Though Clinton didn’t end up in Grand Theft Auto IV, rumors circulated that she’d appear as a prostitute, who’d ask, “Will you still vote for me?” after her services were used.

3- Grand Theft Auto has been sued for nearly $1 billion

Grand Theft Auto is no stranger to the court docket. Leading the way in the anti-Grand Theft Auto witch hunt is lawyer Jack Thompson, who has organized several lawsuits against publisher Rockstar Games on behalf of families who’ve had a loved one killed by a gamer. Thompson, who has called Grand Theft Auto a “cop-killing simulator,” launched a $246 million lawsuit in 2003 after a pair of teens, saying they were inspired by Grand Theft Auto III, shot two motorists. Two years later, a Grand Theft Auto-playing 17-year-old killed two police officers and a dispatcher, and Thompson filed another suit, though its amount wasn’t made public

In 2006, another teenaged Grand Theft Auto player committed murder, killing three family members, and Thompson brought a $600 million lawsuit against Rockstar and its parent companies. In 2007, parent company Take-Two Interactive Software settled a $2.75 million class action lawsuit relating to hidden sexual content in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

4- Grand Theft Auto games offer more than 200 side missions

Grand Theft Auto players don’t have an excuse to get bored. They can find hours of entertainment traveling the game’s cities and leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. Beginning with GTA III, the first open game of the franchise, the games feature close to a combined 400 story missions, with more than 200 side missions. GTA IV leads the way in the latter category. Most impressive is the fact that most missions contain several stages.

While the story missions are integral to your success, it’s perhaps the side missions that are the most fun. Hit the gym to pump a little iron and you’ll see your player bulk up. Visit the tattoo parlor to get inked and you’ll raise your street cred. Hungry? Stop at fast food joints to get some grub. Just remember, don’t eat too many hamburgers or you’ll gain weight and be laughed at by random people on the street. Want to make a few extra bucks? Hijack a taxi and go pick up fares. If you’re a lady’s man, dote over your girlfriends (yes, it’s plural) by taking them on dates to keep them happy. Keeping a handle on these side missions while conquering the game’s objectives will have you glued to your controller.

5- Grand Theft Auto V buzz is already underway

GTA IV has barely hit shelves, but video gamers are already getting primed for GTA V, though there’s no official information about when or if the game will be released. Plenty of gaming sites and message boards have speculations about the potential game, which could be released sometime between 2010 and 2014. Because the franchise’s graphics, story and gameplay get progressively better, fans are hoping the game’s next installment won’t disappoint. Some speculation for GTA V ideas include a multiplayer version that will allow you to put your likeness on a character, the ability to speak (using your own voice) with other characters, open buildings to explore, international travel, and destruction of buildings instead of just vehicles.

While these ideas are all just speculation, there’s no question that if Rockstar wishes to develop GTA V, it will really have to push the envelope.