Rockstar's latest Grand Theft Auto expected to boast $137.5 million budget, sell 18 million copies in six months, and potentially release on next-gen platforms "in some form."

Grand Theft Auto V's release date slip won't damage the game's profitability or stop it from potentially toppling Call of Duty to become the biggest selling game of 2013, according to Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia (via GamesIndustry International).

Bhatia used a "hypothetical probability model" to calculate his predictions, estimating a development cost of $137.5 million calculated from the belief that 250 people have been working on GTAV for five years.

Using that figure, and based on the game selling "only" 15 million copies with a modest marketing campaign, Bhatia reckons Take-Two would see over $193.6 million in operating profit for GTAV.

Bhatia, however, reckons 18 million copies of Grand Theft Auto V will be sold in its first sixth months, or the time between its September 17 release and the end of Take-Two's 2014 financial year.

Cowen & Company analyst Doug Creutz (via CVG) has also said he suspects GTA V to transition to next-gen consoles after its September launch. Talking about how the predicted next-gen launch this Christmas might damage the DLC prospects of GTAV on the PS3 and 360, Creutz said "Take-Two may have plans to eventually publish GTA V on the next set of consoles in some form to offset this."

Rockstar announced a four-month delay of GTAV yesterday, with its new September release date placing the game into closer competition against holiday heavyweights such as this year's Call of Duty and Battlefield 4.

For more information on GTAV, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.

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