X

GTA accounts for half of all DS M-rated revenue?

Take-Two CEO Ben Feder says Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars accounts for half of all DS mature-game revenue. But that might not be saying much.

Don Reisinger
CNET contributor Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
See full bio
Don Reisinger
2 min read
Nintendo DSi XL
The DS just isn't for mature audiences. Nintendo

One complaint that some folks have with Nintendo is that its consoles and handheld devices lack mature games. But Take-Two Interactive chief Ben Feder was quick to point out on Friday that the Nintendo DS does have mature titles, and his company's Grand Theft Auto franchise is leading the pack.

Speaking to MCV in the U.K., Feder said as of February, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars "represented nearly 50 percent of the unit sales of all M-rated DS titles in the history of the platform."

It's a rather interesting comment that might make some scratch their heads. Feder is seemingly saying that Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is one of the most popular games on the DS. But further inspection of the all-time bestselling Nintendo DS games reveals the title doesn't even make the list. Perhaps that's why Feder was so careful with his wording.

But a little bit of digging reveals that even calling Chinatown Wars the top mature-rated DS game isn't all that impressive. According to Nintendo's Web site, there are just eight mature-rated titles available on the DS. And only five of those games have been released since 2007.

So, while it's nice to be the top-selling mature-rated game on the DS, it's not saying much. With just seven games to compete with, it would seem that the GTA name alone helped Take-Two take that title.

And the fact that the DS only has eight mature games further supports what many folks have been saying for quite a while about Nintendo and its handheld: the DS just isn't a mature platform.