A story by Dow Jones speculates that the slowing sales of GTA IV may hurt Take-Two's chances of getting a good buyout deal from EA. The two companies are currently in behind-closed-doors negotiations following several months of failed hostile takeover bids by EA for the GTA publisher.
GTA IV came out of the gate strong when it premiered in April, earning $500 million in its first week and going on to sell 8.5 million units so far. However, August NPD data shows the game has slipped to the 46th best-selling game spot for the month, which is another notch down the ladder from its 45th place in July.