There's a good chance that many of you are still currently working your way through the various cases and plot twists of L.A. Noire, or replaying the game in an effort to conduct your interrogations faster and more effectively. If you've already completed the tale of Detective Cole Phelps, it seems that more adventures in the game's world will be coming soon. That's according to publisher Take-Two Interactive, who are nothing but optimistic that the game is just the first of a brand new franchise.

Any observer of the current video game market would notice just how successful sequels are these days, with every developer and publisher working to capitalize on one game's success. Take-Two is no stranger to that business model, as parent company of Grand Theft Auto publisher Rockstar Games.

But Rockstar's latest release L.A. Noire is anything but a recycled idea, and certainly a gamble that has paid off for the company. Developed by Australian studio Team Bondi, the game has managed to not only attract attention from audiences outside of video gaming, but enjoy success both financially and critically. That's not even mentioning the short fiction anthology the game spawned.

That success is something that Take-Two hopes to see even more of in the future, with the company's CEO Strauss Zelnick noting in a recent investor call that he is already looking forward to brighter things in the future of the series:

"We have every reason to believe that L.A. Noire is another strong franchise for this company...We do see this as a powerful new franchise."

It won't surprise anyone to hear that potential sequels to L.A. Noire are already being talked about, but nothing is official at this point. What might be most important to take away from Zelnick's use of the word "powerful," which implies that a series built upon L.A. Noire would be more akin to the publisher's golden goose Grand Theft Auto than any other property.

It's safe to say that the folks over at Rockstar Games and Take-Two are sporting some sizable smiles these days, after enjoying sales and profits that Zelnick claims consistently exceeded their expectations. And let's not forget, that's all without a GTA title on the books. While some major publishers might look at an entire year without a flagship release, and two brand new IPs in Red Dead Redemption and L.A. Noire as not worth the risk, Take-Two clearly saw it as an opportunity.

Red Dead alone could have been a major hit to the company's bottom-line if it hadn't been a blockbuster, but Rockstar knew what they were doing, and in the end came out with not just a profitable year, but arm-fulls of awards and two brand new franchises.

That kind of smart decision-making doesn't go unnoticed, as Zelnick also confirmed in the investor call that Rockstar founders Sam and Dan Houser have renewed their contracts with Take-Two, and thanked the team personally:

"I want to take a moment to recognise this team that has been with Take Two for well over ten years now...They've not only continued to deliver outstanding results but they've showed incredible loyalty. We look forward to working with the Rockstar team for many years to come."

Even though L.A. Noire's developers have already explained that a sequel could be made faster than the original game, any sequels to the property, or Red Dead and GTA for that matter are still not confirmed. Still, the outlook is bright for both Rockstar and Take-Two as any publisher would love to have one franchise in high demand, let alone three.

Which series would you like to see receive a sequel first? Any ideas for what you'd like to see in 'L.A. Noire 2?' Leave us your thoughts in the comments.

L.A. Noire is available now for the Xbox 360 and PS3.

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Source: Eurogamer