GTA V 
is a smashing success, but what’s next for Rockstar? Chris Morris examines the possibilities
With Grand Theft Auto V shattering entertainment industry sales records, the Houser Brothers and the team at Rockstar Games have once again justified the freedom and independence Take-Two affords them.
They’ve also got the gaming world wondering what they’ll do next.
Kenny Rogers offers 
some great advice about knowing when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em, but when it comes to putting together a world-class poker night for you and your buddies, he’s pretty useless.
The key to throwing a great poker night is to remember that it’s not just about the game — it’s about the people. Instead of silently staring at the TV, you’re gathered around a table eating, drinking and relaxing (sort of), the perfect ingredients for a good conversation. And the cash on the table ensures that everyone stays on their toes.
It’s not just awards season in Hollywood. The video 
game world is honoring its best with a series of ceremonies in the first quarter as well.
Last night, the 14th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards took place at the ongoing DICE Summit in Las Vegas, with “Mass Effect 2” walking away with the year’s top honors. The title won “Game of the Year” from the organization – while Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, founders of the studio behind the game, were inducted into the AIAS Hall of Fame.
[In this Gamasutra editorial, editor-at-large Chris Morris looks at Rockstar’s 
Red Dead Redemption and its much-delayed development cycle, examining whether taking your time in completing development on your game makes creative and business sense.]
Before Red Dead Redemption became the year’s best-selling console title to date (and an earnings savior), Take-Two Interactive Software took a lot of heat over the game’s five-year development span.
To be fair, it seemed legitimate at the time. Take-Two (and especially its Rockstar division) has never been the speediest of companies when it comes to getting games on store shelves.
Who needs modern day street thugs when you’ve got old west 
outlaws?
Not Take-Two Interactive Software, it seems. “Red Dead Redemption” continues to be a retail bonanza for the publisher and is doing so much better than expected that the company is now forecasting it will turn a profit this year. That’s the first time in recent memory that it has done so in a year that didn’t have a “Grand Theft Auto” release.
June was another crummy month for video game 
sales – just like pretty much every other month this year. But, on the upside, a clearance sale on existing Xbox 360 hardware bumped hardware sales into positive territory.
Total sales for the industry came in at $1.1 billion, 6 percent behind last year’s pace, according to The NPD Group. Software sales, which are the number most people pay the closest attention to, were down 15 percent though, while hardware sales increased 5 percent.
There’s nothing wrong with tightly-scripted video games, but
sometimes, you just want to mess around without stressing so much about reaching the next level. If you’re looking for that kind of wide-open adventure — where gamers can explore and progress without restrictions — try roaming about in these terrific titles.
After a surprising—and staggeringly bad—April, the 
video game industry showed fledgling signs of life in May—but nothing that’s going to cause investors to cheer. Take Two Interactive Software, though, may finally have a hit franchise that will divert investor focus away from “Grand Theft Auto”.
Overall industry sales for the month were down 5 percent to $823.5 million, according to the NPD Group, which tracks video game sales. Software sales, which investors and industry observers track more closely, were up 4 percent, however, to $466.3 million. The software numbers were slightly lower than analyst expectations, which ranged from 5 percent to 11 percent increases.
Chris Morris: Journalist 