After the speculation of recent weeks regarding Grand Theft Auto IV sales, specifically, which system will sell more copies of the game, early data suggests that the Xbox 360 is pulling ahead.

A recent release of sales figures from Gamestop reveals that they estimate 64% of their sales of GTAIV are for the Xbox 360 version, with the remainder 36% for the Playstation 3. While this statistic appears to be for software only and may not include system bundles, it certainly is indicative of an early lead for Microsoft.

Gamers are undoubtedly lured by the promise of exclusive downloadable content available on Xbox Live later this year, a feature not matched by the Playstation 3 version. With a superior existing install base, it’s not much of a shock that the much-anticipated game is selling better on that console.
The other side of the coin, however, is that for a system that has gotten much criticism from the press and gamers alike, the Playstation 3 version is not as far behind as originally expected.

Sony, of course, had much to say about its respectable second-place standing. Peter Dille, senior VP of marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment, taunted Microsoft in a statement yesterday.

"If I had an installed base advantage of 3-1," he says "I wouldn’t be crowing too much about a 60-40 sales advantage."

All that’s left is to await the official NPD numbers on initial sales of the game, due this Thursday.