Microsoft and subsequently Reuters reported that Halo 3 sold 8.1 million copies in 2007?! Can that be right? Game database shows 6.46, a significantly smaller number.

Or do they report software sales to retailers as well? (Makes less sense than hardware imo). 

shipped and sold to retailers

vgchartz tracks sold to consumer

I think it's sold to retailers for the Halo 3 numbers! Otherwise the numbers would have been changed by now :P

Okay, thanks for clearing up! I couldn't fathom numbers that far off.

halo 3 is one game with the most ads money dumped on. I am sure every retailer still have many copies in the house. 1.55 M for a single title sounds a bit much, however...

Microsoft is trying to boost the numbers by making it shipped, as opposed to sold to consumers.

Unless retailers take software on consignment or otherwise allow returns of unsold merchandise, there is no way the manufacturer would know the difference.

That does sound like a lot of games are sitting in stores though.

At super--well if you think about how many used copies of that game have sold--i mena i have a friend who bought his copy just to see the ending then sold it--we just use my copy to go online every now and then