The NPD has released its monthly breakdown of videogame sales in the US, and since the most recent month was December, this means we get to look at the top-selling games of the year. 2020 presents us with a massive milestone for the annual NPD charts, though: it's the first time that Grand Theft Auto 5 has not been among the 20 best-selling of the year.
GTA 5 was the eleventh best-selling title of the year in both 2019 and 2018, and its place was (naturally) even higher in previous years. But its absence from the 2020 chart doesn't mean it's stopped selling. In fact, on this year's UK charts GTA ranked in third place, just behind Black Ops - Cold War.
So why is GTA completely missing from the 2020 US charts? Because digital sales of Rockstar parent company Take-Two's games are no longer included in the tracking group's list of best-selling titles - presumably at the publisher's request. This does mean that retail sales of physical game copies, which are tracked, were not enough to get GTA 5 to chart, but it's likely the game still would've made the top 20 if digital sales were included.
RELATED LINKS:
GTA Online weekly update brings double rewards for survivals
GTA 5 podium car: here's what vehicle you can win in GTA Online for week 46
GTA 5 actors recreate the Franklin roast in real life
It's Thursday, which means a new raft of discounts and bonuses have come to Los Santos. Rockstar typically reveals this in full later in the day, which it has now done, but the changes happen at reset, so GTA Online players have a mull around and find out what's new for themselves - why wait, you know?
If you're looking to make any extra dosh this week, you'll find that cash and reward prizes are doubled for survival matches. The multiplayer game mode has been around for a while and involves defending yourself or another player from hordes of enemies. It can be played by up to four people, and unlocks after you hit level 15 in GTA Online.
It's also looking like a wonderful week to deck out your Kosatka submarine if you, er, have one. You can get 25% off such features as guided missiles and the sonar station. There are discounts on various vehicles, too, such 40% off the Buzzard, Reaper, and Sea Sparrow. You'll also find that the Coquette D10 is 30% off. Fancy trying your luck at the Diamond Casino's Wheel of Fortune? The GTA 5 podium car is currently the Pegassi Toreador.
RELATED LINKS:
For the first time, GTA 5 did not make NPD's year-end best-seller list (but there's a reason)
GTA 5 podium car: here's what vehicle you can win in GTA Online for week 46
GTA 5 actors recreate the Franklin roast in real life
Grand Theft Auto V has never stopped being popular - seriously, just look at the 2020 sales numbers - and it's still generating fresh memes. Now we're in the era of Lamar roasting Franklin, as modders and video editors keep finding new ways to recreate the scene with increasingly absurd adjustments. Now things have reached their natural conclusion: the actors behind Franklin and Lamar have recreated the scene in real life.
The recreation is everything you could hope for. Slink Johnson as Lamar delivers his lines with all the colorful affectation he had back in 2013, and Solo Fonteno is just as incredulous in live action as in motion capture. They're even dressed in the appropriate outfits, doing the scene on a quiet street in what sure looks like Los Angeles.
The scene was created in partnership with PlayStation Haven, which is working with Slink Johnson on a GTA 5 real-life comparison series. Those videos will see the actor exploring the real-life locations which inspired the fictional city of Los Santos. And hey, if you're already in LA with the actor anyway, why not do the Franklin meme?
RELATED LINKS:
GTA Online weekly update brings double rewards for survivals
GTA 5 podium car: here's what vehicle you can win in GTA Online for week 46
Grand Theft Auto 5 continues to sell by the millions
