US sales of gaming products up 47% in Apr on GTA4 launch

Fri May 16 2008, 18:05 PM

The release of 'Grand Theft Auto 4' sent US sales of gaming hardware and software equipment up 47% in Apr, compared to the same month in 2007, according to research by NPD reported by Reuters. The popular gaming title, published by Take-Two Interactive, sold almost 2.9m copies in the US in the first five days after launching on Apr 29, says NPD.

Microsoft Xbox 360 and Sony PS3, however, did not seem to benefit from the launch. NPD estimates that 188,000 Xbox 360 were sold last month, down from 262,000 in Mar. Similarly, Sony sold 187,000 PS3 consoles in Apr, which compares to 257,000 units sold the month before.