New York, NY (AHN ) - Grand Theft Auto IV set a new record for first-week video game sales with consumers spending $500 million since the violent game hit retailers April 29, publisher Take-Two Interactive Software said Wednesday.

The amount surprised analysts which had expected initial sales of around $400 million. Take-Two said six million copies were sold in the first seven days. More than half that number - 3.6 million - were sold on the first day, the company announced.

By comparison, Microsoft's Halo 3 racked up $300 million in first-week sales when the popular game reached retailers September 25 of 2007.