Elder Scrolls: Skyrim ships 7 million units


Skryim, the ultimate game of the year, has already shipped more than 7 million units since its long-awaited launch on November 11. 



More than half of the initial launch units were sold within 48 hours after the hotly anticipated title hit store shelves nationwide for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.





ZeniMax Media, which owns Bethesda, confirms it expects to rake in more than $500 million in global retail sales from the launch units alone.

“Todd Howard and his team at Bethesda Game Studios have crafted a very special game,” said ZeniMax CEO Robert Altman.

“Anticipation for Skyrim has surpassed any game in our company’s history, and we are pleased that sales and reviews have reflected the quality and hours of amazing gameplay it provides.”



Now we know some of you will take umbrage with my dubbing Skryim the game of the year, but here is something you doubters and RPG haters might want to think about: Steam recently registered over 280,000 concurrent PC players for Skyrim – some 200,000 more Modern Warfare 3. 


Sure, the numbers might have gone down since the launch, but Skyrim is still cresting at 200,000 simultaneous players, while Modern Warfare 3 is hovering at 75,000.

No surprise there, because as Destructioid’s Jim Sterling explains, preparing for a new Elder Scrolls game is like preparing to die.

“One must ensure they get all their worldly affairs in order, speak with the people who mean everything to them, and have a final meal. After all, once that disc goes in, the user may as well have departed from our mortal world.

“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is a game that will murder you, for the time it steals from your life could rightfully be considered criminal. It is a game that will literally never end while simultaneously bringing you closer to your own end.”