Grand Theft Auto IV
The gaming industry doesn't know the crisis?

Regarding the success of Halo 3 and GTA IV, it looks that the gaming industry is set to thrive , whether there is an economic crisis or not.

GTA IV is set to a 400 milion dollars path in less than a week, as much as the Pirates of the Caribearn 2 , and overshadowing the release of Iron Man in the silver screen. This will simply be the most sold cultural product ever made and is on course to beat every record of revenues made until now in the gaming industry.

But why is it so successful?

Violent, not politically correct, but highly addictive, GTA portrays a harsh world as perceived by young people today. But GTA gameplay's freedom has thus all the more significance in the success of the franchise.

Has the game industry reached adulthood?

GTA most certainly pushed the enveloppe in terms of scenarios, soundtrack, and gameplay. As in television, the gaming world needed more complex stories, GTA might trigger (or already has) the golden era of the gaming industry ad did series like ER and Friends in television.