L.A. Noire is a 2011 action-adventure game created by Team Bondi and published by Rockstar Games. The game is set in 1947 Los Angeles and follows the story of detective Cole Phelps as he rises through the ranks of the Los Angeles Police Department. He solves many cases across different police departments. When Phelps is assigned to investigate a group that distributes drugs, including some of his former friends from World War II, his personal and professional life becomes difficult. He reluctantly teams up with his former friend, Jack Kelso, to uncover a secret plan involving important people in Los Angeles.
Players control the game from a third-person view. They can move freely through the game’s interactive open world, either by car or on foot. As the game progresses, players advance through different police departments, including Patrol, Traffic, Homicide, Vice, and Arson. The story is divided into several "cases," where players must search crime scenes for clues, follow leads, and question suspects and witnesses. How well players complete these tasks affects how much of the story is revealed and their overall score. The game includes fast-paced action, such as chases, combat, and gunfights. Outside of cases, players can complete optional tasks and collect items found throughout the game world.
The development of L.A. Noire began in 2004 after Team Bondi was founded. Rockstar Studios from around the world helped with the game’s creation. The game uses special motion capture technology called MotionScan, which records actors’ facial expressions from all angles. This technology creates realistic faces, which are important for the game’s interrogation scenes. To design the game’s world, the development team studied Los Angeles in person. The game’s music is inspired by songs from the 1940s, including original music and licensed tracks from that time. The game was delayed many times during its seven-year development, which included a change in publisher and platforms. Workers at Team Bondi complained publicly about long hours and poor management. The studio closed shortly after the game was released.
L.A. Noire was the first video game chosen as an official entry in the Tribeca Film Festival. It was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in May 2011 and for Windows in November. An improved version was released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in November 2017. Critics praised the game’s facial animation, story, characters, performances, music, world design, and interrogation gameplay. However, some people had mixed opinions about the shooting and driving mechanics. The game sold four million copies in its first month and 7.5 million by September 2017. It received many year-end awards from gaming publications. A version called L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files, which includes some cases playable in virtual reality, was released in December 2017.
Gameplay
L.A. Noire is an action-adventure game that includes mystery and crime themes. The game is played from a third-person view and takes place in a large, open world that looks like Los Angeles in 1947. Players solve cases to move forward in the story, following a mostly set path. While exploring the world, players can also complete optional tasks, such as solving short, simple crimes, and collect items like golden film reels, vehicles, books, and golden records. The game includes real landmarks from Los Angeles in the 1940s. Most of the game is played as Cole Phelps, a police officer who works through different departments in the Los Angeles Police Department, including Traffic, Homicide, Vice, and Arson. In some parts of the game, players control another investigator named Jack Kelso. Players can choose to play the game in black and white to mimic the style of film noir.
During cases, players find evidence, such as information from other characters or physical clues found at crime scenes, locations, or near dead bodies. Some physical clues can be examined or looked into more closely to learn more. When all important clues are found at a crime scene, a special music cue ends the investigation. Players can use telephones or gamewells to contact the police radio and get more information. During cases, players question suspects and witnesses to learn details. When someone answers a question, the player can choose to believe them, doubt them, or accuse them of lying. If the player accuses someone of lying, they must provide proof. A notebook in the game helps players list evidence, locations, and people involved in a case, as well as pick questions during interviews.
When questioning two suspects at the police station, players decide who to charge with the crime. Choosing the wrong person affects the case’s final rating, which is based on how well the player solves the case, interviews suspects, and drives. Players can use Intuition points during investigations to find hidden clues or during interviews to remove an answer or see the most common answer among players via the Rockstar Games Social Club. As players progress, their Rank increases, unlocking new outfits, hidden vehicles, and an extra Intuition point. The highest Rank is 20. In some cases, players can find newspapers that show short movies related to the game’s main story.
The game’s world is mainly explored on foot or in a vehicle. Players can climb over fences, pipes, and ladders to reach different areas. While driving, players can turn on a vehicle’s siren to move more easily through traffic. Players can skip travel scenes by letting their partner drive or by selecting a destination and waiting for a loading screen. As Cole Phelps, players can ask their partner for directions. The game includes fast-paced action, like chases, fights, and gun battles. Players use hand-to-hand combat and guns to fight enemies, and weapons can be changed by opening the back of their police car. During fights, players can use auto-aim and a cover system to help defeat enemies. If the player is hurt, the screen turns black and white, and health slowly returns when not under attack. Weapons can only be used in certain situations, like during gunfights. In some chases, players can fire a warning shot at fleeing suspects. A partner may also shoot at suspect vehicles during chases. Players can skip action scenes and continue the story if they fail three times.
Synopsis
The game follows Cole Phelps, an honored United States Marine Corps veteran from the Sixth Marines, played by Aaron Staton. The story begins with Phelps as an LAPD patrol officer working with his partner, Ralph Dunn, played by Rodney Scott, a new officer. After Phelps is promoted to the Traffic desk, led by Captain Gordon Leary, played by Ned Vaughn, he partners with Stefan Bekowsky, played by Sean McGowan, a Polish American who becomes Phelps’s friend. Later, when Phelps is promoted to the Homicide desk, led by Captain James Donnelly, played by Andrew Connolly, he works with Rusty Galloway, played by Michael McGrady, a tired and skeptical detective who often questions Phelps’s ideas. In the Vice bureau, led by Lieutenant Archie Colmyer, played by Steve Rankin, Phelps partners with Roy Earle, played by Adam J. Harrington, a dishonest detective who often argues with Phelps about morality and methods. During his time in Vice, Phelps starts an affair outside of his marriage with Elsa Lichtmann, played by Erika Heynatz, a German jazz singer. As a detective, Phelps frequently works with Dr. Malcolm Carruthers, played by Andy Umberger, a coroner, and Ray Pinker, played by JD Cullum, a crime scene investigator.
After Phelps is demoted to the Arson desk, led by Captain Lachlan McKelty, played by Randy Oglesby, he partners with Herschel Biggs, played by Keith Szarabajka, a former Marine who is reclusive but eventually respects Phelps. For some Arson cases, the player controls Jack Kelso, played by Gil McKinney, a former Marine who becomes a rival to Phelps. Kelso, who works as a claims investigator and later as a District Attorney Investigator, helps Phelps and Elsa uncover the truth about the Suburban Redevelopment Fund (SRF), a program that claims to provide affordable housing for returning veterans. Members of the SRF include Leland Monroe, played by John Noble, a real estate magnate; Curtis Benson, played by Jim Abele, a vice-president at California Fire and Life; and Harlan Fontaine, played by Peter Blomquist, a psychiatrist. Fontaine’s mentee is Courtney Sheldon, played by Chad Todhunter, a former Marine who was stationed with Phelps and Kelso and later becomes involved in the city’s drug trade through a partnership with gangster Mickey Cohen, played by Patrick Fischler. One of Fontaine’s patients is Ira Hogeboom, played by J. Marvin Campbell, a former flamethrower operator from the Sixth Marines who was severely traumatized after accidentally burning civilians to death on Phelps’s orders.
In 1947, after solving a major murder case as a patrol officer, Phelps is promoted to detective. While working on the Traffic desk, he solves multiple murder and fraud cases. Six months later, after a time working on the Burglary desk, Phelps is promoted to the Homicide desk. He and Galloway investigate cases similar to the Black Dahlia murder, arresting several suspects. However, Phelps believes the real murderers were not caught, and his theories are later proven correct. They eventually find and kill the real murderer but cannot reveal his identity because he is related to a powerful government official. The wrongly arrested suspects are set free due to a mistrial.
When Phelps is promoted to the Vice division, he investigates the theft and distribution of military surplus morphine stolen from a ship that had brought his former Marine unit back from the war. He learns that several members of his unit stole and distributed the morphine, only to be killed on Cohen’s orders. During this time, Phelps starts his affair with Elsa. Earle helps powerful city figures avoid a major prostitution scandal by exposing Phelps’s adultery before Phelps can get a confession from Sheldon about his involvement with the stolen morphine. In exchange, Earle is given a position in the SRF. Phelps’s marriage ends, he is disgraced in the LAPD, and he is demoted to the Arson desk, where he investigates suspicious house fires. Despite noticing a connection between the fires and a housing development run by the SRF, Phelps is warned by Earle not to pursue the group or its leader, Monroe. Seeking help, Phelps asks Kelso to look into the matter.
Kelso discovers the development uses unsafe building materials, and his boss, Benson, knowingly insures the homes. After a shootout at Monroe’s mansion, Kelso learns the SRF used one of Fontaine’s patients to burn down homes of people who refused to sell their property to the fund while the occupants were on vacation. Eventually, the patient accidentally killed four people in one fire and became deeply traumatized. The patient confronts and kills Fontaine at his clinic and kidnaps Elsa. Investigating the clinic, Phelps finds the SRF was a front to trick the Federal Government: Monroe planned to buy land through eminent domain for a highway, use the SRF’s money to build cheap homes, and increase their value. Phelps also learns that Sheldon, overwhelmed by guilt, had given Fontaine the stolen morphine under the pretense that Fontaine would legally distribute it to medical facilities, with profits reinvested into the SRF. Fontaine later killed Sheldon after learning about Kelso’s investigation into the SRF.
Kelso realizes Fontaine’s patient is Hogeboom. Phelps and Kelso chase Hogeboom and Elsa into the Los Angeles River Tunnels. They rescue Elsa, and Kelso shoots Hogeboom to end his suffering. As water rises in the tunnels due to heavy rain, Elsa and Kelso escape, but a strong current kills Phelps. At Phelps’s funeral, Earle gives a speech saying Phelps was wrongly accused and had exposed the corruption of Fontaine and Monroe. After Elsa leaves in anger, Kelso asks Biggs to comfort her. Biggs tells Kelso that while Kelso and Phelps were not friends, they were never enemies. In a final scene, Kelso is shown to have known about the stolen morphine but chose not to take part in distributing it.
Development
After the release of The Getaway (2002), writer and director Brendan McNamara left developer Team Soho and moved from London to his hometown of Sydney. In mid-2003, he started a new six-person development studio called Team Bondi with former Team Soho developers. Work on L.A. Noire began soon after, in 2004. Team Bondi signed an exclusive deal with Sony Computer Entertainment to create a game for the PlayStation 3, but by September 2006, Rockstar Games took over the publishing rights. The development team visited Rockstar’s headquarters in New York several times a year to show their progress. Rockstar Games helped with development by using other studios they owned around the world. Experts estimated that the game’s total development and marketing cost more than $50 million, making it one of the most expensive video games ever made.
Unlike other Rockstar games, which use the Rockstar Advanced Game Engine, L.A. Noire used a special engine created by Team Bondi. McNamara started a company called Depth Analysis, which worked with Team Bondi to develop MotionScan, a motion capture technology that records actors at 1,000 frames per second using 32 cameras to capture facial expressions from all angles. This technology helped create realistic character faces and was used in the game’s interrogation system, where players had to read expressions to tell if someone was lying. The process required careful preparation, such as styling actors’ hair. Rockstar was unsure about the technology at first, and the team considered using methods from other Rockstar games, like Red Dead Redemption (2010), as an alternative. The game used Havok as its physics engine. Some story cases were cut because they did not fit on a single Blu-ray disc for PlayStation 3; the Xbox 360 version used three discs, though it originally needed up to six. A version of Grand Theft Auto’s wanted system, where players avoided police, was removed because it did not match the character of Phelps.
McNamara had been interested in 1940s Los Angeles for a long time. While working on The Getaway, he had a screensaver showing the first freeway being built in Los Angeles. He believed the improved lighting on the PlayStation 3 compared to the PlayStation 2 made it possible to explore the film noir style. He started by writing a 4–5-page outline and then read stories from the Los Angeles Public Library for inspiration. The team spent the first 18 months of development researching Los Angeles by studying newspapers, magazines, and organizing trips to take photos. Over 180,000 photos and more than 1,000 newspapers were used as resources. The open world of 1947 Los Angeles was modeled using aerial photos taken by photographer Robert Spence, which helped design traffic patterns, public transport, and building details. Photos of Jay Leno’s vintage car collection were used for reference.
Real Los Angeles buildings inspired the game’s interiors. The team studied the Barclay Hotel to recreate it accurately in the game. While aiming for accuracy, the team made some creative choices, such as including the Babylon film set from the movie Intolerance, which was destroyed before the 1940s but added to honor its history. The team created over 140 production bibles, which acted as style guides with details about floorplans, clothing, signs, lighting, and other references. Some in-game cases were based on real crimes reported in the 1940s, such as “The Red Lipstick Murder,” which was inspired by the unsolved murder of Jeanne French in 1947. The game’s themes, story, and visuals were influenced by films, books, music, and radio shows from the era.
L.A. Noire includes over 20 hours of voice work performed by more than 400 actors. McNamara believed the technology allowed players to connect with characters in a new way. He wanted players to “go on a personal journey with characters.” The team hired Michael Uppendahl to direct the actors because of his experience. Secret auditions were held by casting firm Schiff/Audino, which also cast actors for the TV show Mad Men. Rockstar’s Vice President of Creativity, Dan Houser, suggested Staton for the role of Phelps. Staton joined the project after McNamara shared details about the character, story, and technology. He worked on the game for about 18 months and received a 12-page summary of the 2,200-page script. The switch from Phelps to Kelso as the main character was explained by McNamara as a way to let players “go outside the realm of being a cop to bend the rules.” The ending was compared to A Tale of Two Cities (1859), with characters returning to their starting points. Phelps’s death was partly inspired by the ending of the film Chinatown (1974). A gameplay scene after Phelps’s death was removed because it did not work well.
Characters’ movements were recorded using motion capture. Some actors, like McGowan, felt their characters grew closer over time, while others, like McGrady, connected with their roles based on their own personalities. McNamara and Harrington said Earle fit the genre’s style because of his old-fashioned attitudes. Harrington compared motion capture to live acting but found the MotionScan process “a little restricting.” Noble was involved early in development and later joined the team as an actor. Some characters were based on real people, such as Mickey Cohen, while others were inspired by real-life figures, like Captain Donnelly, who was loosely based on LAPD Captain Jack Donahue and McNamara’s father.
The game’s original score was composed by Andrew Hale and Simon Hale. It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and inspired by 1940s film scores. The composers aimed to create music that was easy for players to enjoy, not just focused on swing or jazz. Andrew Hale described the process as flexible, focusing on setting a mood rather than strict period accuracy. Rockstar hired Woody Jackson, who had worked on Red Dead Redemption, to help with the music. Jackson reworked a theme and wrote much of the in-game music. While the score used a live orchestra, Jackson faced challenges with interactive music because players could hear loops. Inspired by film noir and musicians like Bernard Herman, Jackson wrote original tracks in about a month. The game also included licensed music from artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billie Holiday. Three original vocal tracks were created by Real Tuesday Weld, performed by Claudia Brücken and sung in-game by Elsa.
Soon after the game’s release, former Team Bondi employees created a website called lanoirecredits.com, listing over 100 names that were missing or incorrectly credited. An anonymous employee reported working 10–12 hours daily, including weekends. A report by IGN later discussed these issues.
Release and promotion
L.A. Noire was officially announced in 2005 by Sony for the PlayStation 3. By September 2006, Rockstar Games received the publishing rights, though no platforms were mentioned. An early cinematic trailer was released in October 2006. In June 2007, Take-Two Interactive, Rockstar’s parent company, confirmed the game would be released in the 2008 fiscal year (October 2007–September 2008) for the PlayStation 3. The game faced multiple delays: first to the 2009 fiscal year, then to September 2010, and later to the first half of 2011. The final release dates were set for May 17, 2011, in North America, and May 20, 2011, in Australia and Europe.
The game was featured on the cover of Game Informer’s March 2010 issue. A debut trailer was released in November 2010, revealing the game would launch in early 2011 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A development video in December 2010 showcased MotionScan technology and included interviews with the cast and developers. The game’s cover art was unveiled on February 23, 2011. It was displayed at PAX East in March 2011 with an exclusive theatre presentation. A final pre-launch trailer was released on May 11, 2011. To encourage pre-orders, Rockstar partnered with retailers to offer pre-order bonuses. Rockstar also hosted a competition to win a trip to Los Angeles to attend the Festival of Film Noir at the Grauman’s Egyptian Theatre and play the game a month before its release. In April 2011, L.A. Noire was selected as an official entry at the Tribeca Film Festival, becoming the first video game to receive this honor.
Rockstar collaborated with Mulholland Books to publish L.A. Noire: The Collected Stories on June 6, 2011. The book included eight short stories written by crime authors such as Lawrence Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Joyce Carol Oates, Francine Prose, and Andrew Vachss. Jonathan Santlofer edited and curated the collection, which was completed in six weeks. Some writers, including Megan Abbott, Duane Swierczynski, and Santlofer, previewed an hour of the game at Rockstar’s headquarters in New York for inspiration. Rockstar initially rejected Santlofer’s story because it revealed parts of the game’s plot. He later rewrote the story without spoilers. Before the game’s release in May 2011, Rockstar shared an excerpt and five full stories from the book.
In September 2017, Rockstar announced a re-release of the game for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It was released on November 14, 2017. The enhanced version, developed by Virtuos, included improved textures, weather effects, and camera angles. The Switch version added gyroscopic controls with the Joy-Con. Rockstar also released L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files, a virtual reality version featuring seven cases for the HTC Vive. Developed by Video Games Deluxe, the game was released on December 15, 2017, after a delay. Support for Oculus Rift devices was added on April 4, 2018, and the game was released for PlayStation VR on September 25, 2019.
Rockstar introduced downloadable content (DLC) for L.A. Noire, available for pre-purchase with the “Rockstar Pass,” one of the first season passes in video games. The DLC included all pre-order bonuses. Five cases were released: “The Naked City” and “A Slip of the Tongue” on May 31 (also as pre-order bonuses), a Vice case inspired by the 1948 film and a Traffic case about motor vehicle theft; “Nicholson Electroplating” on June 21, an Arson case based on the O’Connor Plating Works disaster; “Reefer Madness” on July 12, a Vice case about reefer operations; and “The Consul’s Car” on July 26, originally a PlayStation 3-exclusive Traffic case.
Rockstar announced L.A. Noire: The Complete Edition for Windows in September 2011, including all DLC and gameplay improvements. It was released on November 8 in North America, November 11 in Australia and Europe, and November 15 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Reception
L.A. Noire received "generally favorable reviews" from critics, according to Metacritic. The game was praised for its facial animation, story, characters, and performances, music, world design, and interrogation gameplay. However, opinions on the shooting and driving mechanics were mixed. The Guardian's Steve Boxer called it a "breakthrough for games." Edge said other games do some elements better, but few developers have combined so many genres in such a stylish and cohesive way. GameTrailers said the game "sets a new standard for storytelling in video games," though some reviewers noted it had limitations compared to other games.
Reviewers praised the game's facial animation, with many calling it the best in any video game. GameTrailers said it allowed a level of emotion never seen in interactive entertainment. Matt Liebl of GameZone said the interrogation mechanic would not have been realistic without MotionScan technology. Justin McElroy of Joystiq called the technology "revolutionary," noting it allowed players to see an actor's full performance. Edge said it added a "human element" to interrogations. Some reviewers said the body animations did not always match the facial expressions, but they felt this added to the realism of the performances.
GameSpy's Ryan Scott said L.A. Noire was "one of the strongest stories Rockstar has ever published." Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb called it "among the best in the business," citing its cohesiveness and tension near the end. Matt Liebl of GameZone said the focus on story and performances made the game stand out compared to Rockstar's action-focused titles. Steve Boxer of The Guardian praised the story's pacing, and Carolyn Petit of GameSpot said the later chapters made the earlier, slower parts more meaningful. Will Herring of GamePro praised the game's final act for its accurate portrayal of Los Angeles. Some reviewers said the game became less interesting toward the end and repetitive. Hilary Goldstein of IGN said the cases that strayed from the usual formula, like the Homicide desk, were among the best, but the game did not reach the emotional depth of Heavy Rain.
Carolyn Petit of GameSpot said the character development of Phelps was "fascinating." Will Herring of GamePro said Phelps's relationships with his partners made the game more interesting. Mikel Reparaz of GamesRadar said Phelps became more likable as the game progressed. Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb said the characters' dialogue fit the setting well. Owen S. Good of Polygon said Biggs's moral code and interest in justice reflected the noir theme. Critics praised the cast's performances, especially Aaron Staton, John Noble, Andrew Connolly, and Michael McGrady. Edge said Connolly "dominated any scene he was in." Some reviewers said the performances made the characters feel more believable. IGN's Goldstein praised the actors' mannerisms. Ryan McCaffrey of Official Xbox Magazine said the performances made it "a hell of a great drama to watch." Justin McElroy of Joystiq said they made it "one of the most compelling video game stories ever." Oli Welsh of Eurogamer said Staton did well with a dry character.
Many reviewers said Los Angeles was the "star" of the game, praising the accurate recreation of the city in 1947. Oli Welsh of Eurogamer compared it to Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and Midnight Club: Los Angeles, saying the detailed period setting was impressive. Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb said the historical elements added to the game's tone and made the story feel authentic. Will Herring of GamePro called it "one of the richest and most impressively rendered video game environments." Matt Helgeson of Game Informer praised the attention to detail but said it lacked the interactivity of Liberty City from Grand Theft Auto IV. Carolyn Petit of GameSpot said the "outstanding" art direction made the game memorable, but the open world felt less believable because of awkward dialogue from non-playable characters.
Reviewers praised the game's original score. Oli Welsh of Eurogamer said it helped create the game's atmosphere, comparing it to the music of Taxi Driver and L.A. Confidential. Carolyn Petit of GameSpot said it successfully captured the sound of film noir. Justin McElroy of Joystiq said the music was authentic to the time period. Matt Helgeson of Game Informer said the game balanced 1940s jazz with a "mournful score." Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb said the "big-orchestra score" fit the game's setting and subject matter, and he liked the music notes used during investigations.
Matt Helgeson of Game Informer said the interrogations were "the most compelling aspect" of the game. Hilary Goldstein of IGN agreed, comparing them to dialogue-heavy scenes in role-playing games. Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb said the interrogations were similar to the dialogue choices in Mass Effect 2, adding energy to each case. Carolyn Petit of GameSpot said the interrogations became more interesting once players had more control. Ryan McCaffrey of Official Xbox Magazine said the interrogations added "vigor" to the game but criticized their passive nature of simply listening and pressing a button. Some reviewers said the system was flawed because the choices were unclear or illogical. Critics had mixed opinions about the investigation elements: Carolyn Petit of GameSpot called them "compelling" and praised the details, while Oli Welsh of Eurogamer called them "clunky" and "laborious." Matt Helgeson of Game Informer said they became repetitive, feeling "more like an Easter egg hunt than an actual investigation." Matt Liebl of GameZone criticized the lack of consequences for mistakes.
Several critics commented on the game's action sequences and driving controls. Oli Welsh of Eurogamer said the foot chases were "memorable and fun," comparing them to police TV shows. Matt Helgeson of Game Informer said they became "predictable and repetitive." Most reviewers said the core gameplay was easy to understand, but Matt Liebl of GameZone said this made the experience less engaging. GameTrailers said the controls felt "floaty" and "imprecise." Carolyn Petit of GameSpot said the cars were "responsible and swift," and Brad Shoemaker of Giant Bomb called the car chases his favorite part of the action. Other reviewers agreed, though some said the driving was less impressive outside of chases. Critics generally said the shooting mechanics were basic but functional. Some found the controls awkward or repetitive, while others said they were less exciting than Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption. Will Herring of GamePro said the shooting was "memorable" and "rewarding."
The Windows version of L.A. Noire also received "generally favorable reviews," according to Metacritic. Carolyn Petit of GameSpot said it was the best version because it included all the DLC cases. Carlos Leiva of Vandal praised the higher-resolution textures, longer draw distances, more environmental designs, and stable performance. Nathan Grayson of GameSpy said the improvements were good but called the PC version "a pretty bare-bones port." Tommaso Pugliese of Multiplayer.it agreed, saying the changes from the console version were small and the controls were worse with a keyboard and mouse. Anthony Gallegos of IGN said the port had some issues.
Sales
On the day the game was released in North America, Take-Two Interactive's stock price increased by 7.75%—the highest level in three years—because of the game's positive reception. The game sold four million copies across both platforms during its first month. In the United States, L.A. Noire was the top-selling game in May 2011, with 899,000 copies sold across both platforms. This number was lower than Wedbush Securities' prediction of one million units. The game remained the best-selling title in June 2011 but fell out of the top ten by July. McNamara faced pressure for the game to sell well, as The Getaway had sold four million units. He was satisfied with L.A. Noire's sales results. By December 2011, the game had sold nearly five million copies, and by September 2017, it had sold about 7.5 million copies.
In the United Kingdom, the game reached the top of the sales charts after its release and became the fastest-selling new intellectual property. Fifty-eight percent of copies sold on Xbox 360, and 42% sold on PlayStation 3. The game stayed at the top of the charts for three weeks but dropped to second place when Duke Nukem Forever was released in June 2011. It remained in the top ten of weekly sales charts until mid-July. In 2011, L.A. Noire was the eighth-best-selling game in the United Kingdom. In Australia, retailers in major cities reported the game was sold out within a week. In Japan, the game sold over 71,000 copies in its first week. The PlayStation 3 version sold 58,436 copies and topped the charts, while the Xbox 360 version sold 12,621 copies and ranked 11th.
Future
After L.A. Noire was released in May 2011, McNamara stated that future games from Team Bondi would take less than five years to create because of improved technology. MotionScan technology was expected to be used for full body movements. In August 2011, Kennedy Miller Mitchell, a film production company, purchased Team Bondi’s assets. On August 30, Team Bondi was placed into administration, and on October 5, it went into liquidation. In November 2011, McNamara’s next game, Whore of the Orient, was announced. Developed by KMM Interactive Entertainment, a studio created by Kennedy Miller Mitchell, the game was described as a "spiritual successor" to L.A. Noire. By 2016, the project was canceled. Later, McNamara and former Team Bondi members worked on The VR Case Files and updates for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition (2021) at Video Games Deluxe. In 2025, Rockstar acquired Video Games Deluxe and renamed it Rockstar Australia.
In May 2011, Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick called L.A. Noire "another strong franchise for this company." In November 2011, he stated the game was Take-Two’s "most successful new release" of the previous fiscal year and emphasized its importance to the company. In February 2012, Rockstar said it was "considering what the future may hold for L.A. Noire as a series" but warned not to "count out" a possible sequel. In March 2013, Take-Two COO Karl Slatoff again highlighted L.A. Noire as a key franchise. In May 2021, actor Aaron Staton said he had "never heard word about a sequel" but expressed interest in learning more, noting the passing of actor Aaron Phelps.