TOKYO, JAPAN - The notoriously violent "Grand Theft Auto IV" has blown away the competition since its launch thanks to strong sales in the United States and Britain, a survey showed Thursday.

The game has already sold 6.3 million units in those two markets since it was released in April, according to figures from Tokyo-based game industry research firm Enterbrain. It will be released in Japan in October.

The "Grand Theft Auto" series has come under fire for its depiction of casual violence, drug dealing and prostitution.

"Super Smash Bros. Brawl" for Nintendo's Wii came in second, selling 5.4 million units in the first seven months of this year in the US, Japan and Britain, which account for roughly 70 percent of the global game industry, Enterbrain said.

Third place went to Nintendo's "Mario Kart Wii", which sold 4.7 million units, according to the new Top Global Markets Report complied jointly by Enterbrain, NPD Group of New York and GfK Chart-Track of London.

The three firms plan to release monthly updates of game sales charts in the three markets. --AFP