Total sales for GTA: Chinatown Wars now predicted at 2.8 million

We've already investigated predictions about the total sales of the heartbreaking work of staggering genius that is GTA: Chinatown Wars. The general consensus among analysts remains around 2 million units, but over on The Sim Exchange, the virtual stock exchange for game sales and Metacritic scores, punters are becoming much more bullish when it comes to betting their imaginary dollars.

Indeed, total predicted sales now stand at over 2.8 million copies, although at one point yesterday, as the graph below shows, the total tipped the 2.96 million mark. (In fact, in previous months, the total has been as high as 3.3 million.)

Conversely however, the consensus when it comes to total sales in the US during March have been steadily heading downwards, despite the chorus of praise the game has received. At the start of the month it was reckoned over 700,000 copies would be sold; a number that's now dwindled to 473,000.

Frankly, it's hard to see how the behaviour of the two graphs can be explained, particularly as the US will account for the majority of the game's sales. We can't see it selling many copies in Japan for example, while its 18 age rating in the UK also seems likely to restrict its audience. Maybe the expected flood of DSi bundles due in April is the answer?