It's fascinating to note that a game you may not have heard of, let alone seen a trailer for, could become "the most lucrative launch in entertainment history" this week.

To say that expectations for "Grand Theft Auto IV" are riding high is a massive understatement.

9 million copies of the video game are expected to be sold in its first week, which could easily earn Take-Two and Rockstar far more than the $300 million in first-week sales snatched up by Halo 3 fans.

Stay tuned to NowPublic for a review of the GTA IV, as it goes to launch on April 29th.

The run-up to "Grand Theft Auto IV" has been considerably less ballyhooed than last year's over-the-top "Halo 3" debut. Yet when "GTA IV" parks on store shelves on April 29, the latest entry in the controversial video game franchise could be the most lucrative launch in entertainment history — and one that many people may not even know about.

Analysts predict Take-Two Interactive Software and Rockstar Games' open-world, action-driving game will easily top last year's record-breaking $300 million first-week sales of Microsoft and Bungee Studios' first-person shooter "Halo 3" — and without a similar marketing bonanza.

With the launch of "GTA IV" on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Rockstar is seemingly steering in one direction: the downlow.

"Rockstar wants to control the message all the time," says Sam Kennedy, editorial director for the gaming site 1UP.com. "They want this to be seen and perceived exactly the way they want. That's why — outside of the official trailers they released — people haven't seen a lot of gameplay footage in advance of 'GTA IV' shipping. They want to build that hype."

Source: chron.com