Global day-one retail sales outpace Grand Theft Auto IV by healthy margin, good for highest launch-day mark in history of Take-Two Interactive and Grand Theft Auto series.

Grand Theft Auto V generated over $800 million during its first 24 hours on sale across the world, parent publisher Take-Two Interactive announced today. The day-one sales figure is the highest in Take-Two’s history and for the Grand Theft Auto series.

By comparison, Grand Theft Auto IV sold 3.6 million copies, generating $310 million during its launch day in April 2008. Take-Two has not disclosed how many GTAV copies have been sold thus far.

Last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II generated $500 million in 24 hours.

GTAV also dethroned Call of Duty: Black Ops in the United Kingdom to become the region’s fastest-selling game of all time, moving 1.57 million copies in 24 hours.

The game was released on September 17 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Its launch in Japan and Brazil is forthcoming.

“All of us at Take-Two are thrilled with the initial response to Grand Theft Auto V. Once again, the team at Rockstar Games have outdone themselves, setting the entertainment industry’s new standard for creativity, innovation, and excellence,” Take-Two CEO and chairman Strauss Zelnick said in a statement.

GTAV’s multiplayer component–Grand Theft Auto Online–will be released as a free update on October 1. For more on GTAV, check out GameSpot’s review.

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