One million of anything is quite a lot by anyone’s standard, be it toasters, plush toys or money (well, depending on where you live).

One million units of a videogame, however, is a very special number – if you manage to sell or even ship that many copies of your game, it’s safe to say you’ve got a bit of a success on your hands.

So it’s encouraging to hear that three games have recently hit this sales and shipment benchmark, either for the first time or many times over, as is the case with Mortal Kombat, Dead Island and Grand Theft Auto IV this week.

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Take-Two has released financial results for the its fiscal second quarter ending April 30, revealing profits of $16.9 million (up from a loss of $10.4 million during the same period last year) on sales of $268 million (up 54% compared to the same quarter last year).

Sales were driven by impressive and continued market performance by Bioshock 2, Major League Baseball 2K10 and GTA: Episodes From Liberty City on PlayStation 3.

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For the next week, Xbox LIVE Gold members will be able to purchase the Grand Theft Auto IV expansion, The Ballad of Gay Tony, for the reduced price of 1200 MS Points (as opposed to the normal 1600 MS Points).

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Take-Two Interactive has released its financial report for the publisher’s first fiscal quarter of 2010 ending January 31st, which saw net revenue rise, net losses fall, and restructuring efforts paying off.

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During Take-Two Interactive’s quarterly financial report it was revealed that the original Bioshock has now sold over 4 million units, with recent sales driven by both the release of the sequel, Bioshock 2, and digital download promotions for both games.

Take-Two Interactive CEO Ben Feder commented that the franchise has now sold a combined seven million units, as Bioshock 2 has so far shipped three million copies worldwide.

Catalogue sales of Bioshock, Feder said, were affected by Bioshock 2:

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It’s official! After over a year of exclusivity on the Xbox 360, Grand Theft Auto IV’s downloadable content, The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony, will soon become available for both the PC and PS3.

From March 30th around the world, PS3 and PC gamers will be given access to the two sets of add-ons, either as individual downloadable content (in which case you’ll need a copy of GTA IV) or as an all-in-one retail compilation called Episodes From Liberty City, comprising both The Lost and Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony (in which case you won’t need a copy of GTA IV).

Rockstar’s Sam Houser enthused:

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Microsoft has taken the wraps off a new limited edition Grand Theft Auto Xbox 360 bundle.

The bundle includes an Xbox 360 Elite console as well as Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City and Grand Theft Auto IV. It will be available in South African stores from the 13th of November for R3499 but only for a limited time.

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The latest financial results from Take Two have revealed that Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV has sold approximately 8.5 million units as at the 31st of May 2008, with shipment to retail now at 11 million.

GTA IV was released on the 29th of April and broke records by selling about 6 million copies worldwide in the first week valued at $500 million.

Take Two’s financial results for its second quarter ending the 30th of April 2008 showed that net revenue was $539.8 million, up from $205.4 million for the same period last year. Net income was $98.2 million, up from last year’s net loss of $51.2 million.

Downloadable episodic content for the Xbox 360 of GTA IV will be released during the first quarter of Take-Two’s 2009 fiscal year which runs from November to January.

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV was released last week Tuesday, the 29th of April. Today Take Two announced that it has broken entertainment records for day one and week one by dollar value.

GTA IV has sold an estimated 6 million units worldwide, amounting to a retail value of over $500 million in the first week. It sold approximately 3.6 million units on its opening day, racking up $310 million worldwide.

Earlier in the week Chart Track announced that GTA IV sold 926 000 copies (£39.9 million) in its first week in the UK. The title debuted at the top of the chart as the biggest All Formats number 1 ever, after selling an estimated 631 000 copies in the first 24 hours.

Must-have experience

“We knew Grand Theft Auto IV would break new ground in terms of the player’s experience, with its compelling story line, extraordinary gameplay and action that ranges over a broad urban canvas. Now, it has broken sales and rating records as well,” said Strauss Zelnick, Chairman of Take-Two.

“Grand Theft Auto IV’s first week performance represents the largest launch in the history of interactive entertainment, and we believe these retail sales levels surpass any movie or music launch to date. We congratulate the entire Rockstar team on creating a must-have experience that takes the legendary Grand Theft Auto franchise to a new level.”

Ben Feder, Take-Two’s Chief Executive Officer commented “Rockstar’s goal is to make each new title in the Grand Theft Auto franchise even better than those that preceded it, and Grand Theft Auto IV is a smashing success on that score.”

“Grand Theft Auto IV makes full use of the power of next generation technology, and offers players an experience unique in the interactive entertainment medium. This game sets a new standard in the industry, with critics hailing it as both an artistic and technological masterpiece.”

Grand Theft Auto IV is currently available for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto IV has broken all previous day one sales records in the UK, selling an estimated 609 000 copies for the Xbox 360 and PS3 combined for the 29th of April.

This is according to ELSPA, who reported that day one sales of GTA IV beat the previous record of 501 000 copies which was set by Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for the PS2 in October 2004.

“The scale of GTA’s day one sales are phenomenal and reflect a vibrant market which continues to grow. Gamers are from all age groups and demographics with estimates putting the total number of people in the UK who enjoy games at over 20 million,” said ELSPA managing director, Mike Rawlinson.

Microsoft’s Halo 3 for the Xbox 360 recorded sales of 266 000 copies on day one in September 2007. The new 24 hour record is GTA IV which totaled an estimated 335 000 copies on day one.

The previous record for the PS3 was Sony’s Gran Turismo 5: Prologue which recorded day one sales of 80 000 copies in March 2008. The new 24 hour record is GTA IV which totaled an estimated 274 000 copies on day one.

Chart Track figures are due to be released tomorrow so stay tuned.

Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto IV was released worldwide yesterday for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Grand Theft Auto IV was developed by series creator Rockstar North. Set in Liberty City, the latest installment in the popular series features a detailed and life-like city, narrative experience, original soundtrack and sixteen player multiplayer with over a dozen online modes.

Rockstar also launched the Rockstar Social Club, a new website that seeks to extend a players experience of GTA IV as well as future Rockstar games.

The site features “detailed, diverse and sometimes amusing” leaderboards, virtual events, player statistics as well as performance-based competitions and awards for players of all skill levels.

Players will be able to keep track of online multiplayer statistics, participate in physical challenges, try to earn a place in the Hall of Fame and keep a daily track of crime with the Liberty City Police Blotter.

If you are a “true GTA die-hard” keep an eye out for the GTA IV 100% Club Competition. Those players who attain 100% within seven days after the release of GTA IV will receive a limited edition ‘key to the city.’

To link your game to the Social Club Account (you can link either your Xbox Live gamertag or your PlayStation Network sign-in ID), simply log in, go to ‘Edit Profile’ and select the option to link your account to your gaming platform.

You can visit the website at www.rockstargames.com/socialclub.