It's probably safe to say that the GTA Online casino has been a roaring success — the latest update to Grand Theft Auto V's online game mode has caused recurrent consumer spending to rise 23%, setting records for Rockstar Games.
The metric of "recurrent consumer spending" is, quite simply, a measurement of in-game spending on premium currency and other digital goods and content. The GTA Online casino update has seen a spike in this metric for Rockstar Games to the tune of 23% as reported by Gamasutra, making this one of the most successful updates ever.
While specific numbers weren't mentioned in a recent conference call from Rockstar Games' parent company Take-Two Interactive, the percentage increase shows that the addition of a casino into the game was likely a strong driver to getting players to spend more money.
GTA Online Casino Delivers 'Record Player Engagement'
Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick said that the casino update delivered "record player engagement" whether it was measured on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis for active users in both July and August.
The addition of the casino to Grand Theft Auto V's online mode earlier in July 2019 was a risky move on Rockstar Games' part, especially with the increased scrutiny on loot boxes and microtransactions. While players cannot convert their in-game winnings into real-world money, the reverse is true: in-game money can be purchased with real-world money via Shark Cards.
Although specific numbers weren't mentioned, the conference call did state that 37% of Take-Two Interactive's GAAP net revenue came from digital purchases and in-game currency, amounting to approximately $317.4 million. Not all of this was due to the in-game casino for GTA Online, but it probably didn't hurt, either.
What do you think of the GTA Online casino doing gangbusters for Rockstar Games and Take-Two Interactive? Do you think the casino will be regulated in the future despite not allowing payouts into real-world money? Let us know in the comments below!
