Halo 3 came out. It sold a lot. But sales of the final episode of the Halo trilogy may pale in comparison to the first week launch of Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto IV if one analyst is to be believed. Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey says the recently delayed next-gen GTA sequel "could conceivably ship 9.5 million units" in its first week, resulting in a sell through of 8.1 million copies for a total of $466 million. That's the ideal scenario—for Take 2, that is—supposing that GTA IV sales attach rates are on par with Halo 3.

I think we all know that's not going to be the case. Hickey himself would be more comfortable betting on 5.3 million copies shipped, assuming a lower attach rate on both the PLAYSTATION 3 and Xbox 360. Regardless of the outcome, someone's going to make themselves a shitton of money.

Analyst: GTAIV could best Halo 3's debut [Gamespot]

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