Before the official release of the game, there were various predictions. Some analysts were sure that GTA IV will boost the sales of the Xbox 360, especially since Microsoft has a deal with Rockstar for some exclusive content. On the other hand, other analysts were ready to bet their “money” on the PS3, claiming that due to the success of the previous titles of the GTA franchise on PS2, GTA IV is perceived by many gamers as a PlayStation game.

However, according to the latest figures released by The NPD Group, it seems that GTA IV has failed to change something in the console war, at least during April. In fact, both Xbox 360 and PS3 sold fewer units compared to March.

In the past month, Microsoft sold 188,100 Xbox 360 (down from 230,000 in March), while PS3 was close behind with 187,100 units (down from 257,000 in March)

However, Microsoft could claim a victory in its battle with Sony as the Xbox 360 version of GTA IV outsold the PS3 version almost 2:1.

According to The NPD, 1,85 million GTA IV copies were sold for Microsoft’s gaming platform, compared to 1 million units for PS3.

Even the analysts considered the above results a surprise. Quoted by Next-Gen.biz, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter noted that he is surprised by relatively weak PS3 and Xbox 360 sales.

“We had expected sales of both consoles to increase month over month, as we thought that many potential console owners were waiting for the game to launch before purchasing a console,” he said.

However, the GTA IV war is far from over and several analysts noted that GTA IV could drive the sales of both consoles throughout May.

Even NPD analyst Anita Frazier was quick to point out that since GTA IV was only in the market for five days, its effect on the sales of gaming consoles could very well be evident in May data.