Skyrim is the Fastest-Selling Steam Game Ever
Skyrim is a technical and artistic masterpiece, but you don’t need us to tell you that. The title is expected to pick up just about every game of the year award up for grabs in the next few months, but more importantly for Bethesda, the game also appears to have been a huge financial success as well. According to Valve’s Jason Holtman, Skyrim is the “fastest selling title in Steam’s history”. And just to be clear, Steam has quite a bit of history having launched officially all the way back in 2003.
In addition to the millions of digital sales, Bethesda also claims to have shipped (not sold) 10 million retails copies of the game. Given the success of the series I think it’s safe to say at this point we can expect another Elder Scrolls game in a few years. 2013 can’t come soon enough.
Comments
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Travatron
December 19, 2011 at 11:06am
I've put about 100 hours into the game and I'm enjoyinging it, but what a total bugfest.
Can't address more than 2GB of RAM so it crashes constantly? Totally unacceptable, I can't even beleive it made it past quality like that. If a modder was able to make a 4GB mod that addressed 99% of the crashes I was experiencing, why wasn't something like this not included retail? (It's a known issue, it happens with all Bethesda games, although the crashing with this one was MUCH worse, probably due to the higher memory wants).
The graphics are very meh, but again, modders help with that with mods like SkyrimHD.
The UI/HUD is simply atrocious. They made ZERO effort to utilize PCs better control scheme.
NPCs are stupidly annoying.
No Eyefinity support. Although I can edit the ini to force it onto 3 screens, the HUD and menus are unreadable like this.
All-in-all, fantastic game that was ALMOST ruined by being a crappy console port with no thought into PC optimization.
I am REALLY looking forward to the release of the creator's kit.
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bling581
December 20, 2011 at 10:57am
Yep. It's probably the only game I love and hate at the same time. It's down right amazing, except for all the crashes, glitches, graphical issues etc. I guess the good really beats the bad because I can't stop playing it.
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szore
December 19, 2011 at 6:05am
I played the cracked version for 1 hour then uninstalled it. If this is your idea of a good game, have at it.
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JohnP
December 19, 2011 at 5:51pm
Heh, just the opposite. I tried it out for a day and promptly bought 2 copies of it off of Steam. Love the game...
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bling581
December 20, 2011 at 10:59am
Not only that, but he only played it for an hour. That's not doing it justice. The whole intro itself is what, 10-20 minutes? By the time you've gotten to Whiterun it's probably been over an hour.
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h e x e n
December 19, 2011 at 5:25am
Word of mouth is a powerful thing. Everyone I have talked to about this game has gone out and bought it and been thrilled with the results.
I have no qualms recommending this game to anyone who is the least bit interested in RPG's.
As BF3 is the king of the FPS, so to is Skyrim for the RPG. Two games everyone should have bought, or at least played, this year.
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jonnyohio
December 18, 2011 at 11:20pm
it's been quite awhile since I got into an RPG...usually I play them for awhile and get bored, but skyrim is so amazingly detailed and it keeps me interested that I just keep coming back. I actually want to see what how the main storyline ends, but I can't stop having fun with all the side quests...the sneak attack with muffle and invisibility is a nice feature that actually works quite well so I'm enjoying being a part time assassin full time Mage occasional thief and badass warrior. For the first time ever I can choose what to do with my character as I go along instead of being locked into a certain class. I know this sounds like an advertisement for the game, but it truly is that good....now if they will just make a mp coop game like this I'd swear I died and went to nerd heaven.
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Biceps
December 19, 2011 at 11:17am
Ever time I have started to get a little bored with Skyrim, something happens to me. I get attacked by a dragon, or some goddess asks me to sacrifice my best friend to her, or I am given some other interesting moral dilemma. I have always played RPGs as the 'good guy' in the past and am enjoying doing the opposite in Skyrim. Now I know how those wall street bankers feel everyday!!
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Morete
December 18, 2011 at 9:48pm
Skyrim looks kind of nice and all, but I just cannot get my mind into any RPGs. I personally don't know anyone who likes RPGs but give credit to all who can have that extreme kind of imagination. So far, the only one that got my attention was Warhammer's Age of Reckoning cinematic trailer. Unfortunately, the actual game itself didn't seem to be anywhere close to it.
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Jeffredo
December 18, 2011 at 9:17pm
200+ hours in and I estimate I have about another 100 to go. I love huge, open world games where I'm not funneled along down a linear track. It not empty, its not dull. Its damned amazing and only a cynical turd would say otherwise. A cynical, lonely little turd waxing nostagically about Planetscape Torment 12 years later.
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ripple
December 18, 2011 at 5:08pm
I am enjoying Skyrim but the graphics could be better. It will be nice when the consoles upgrade their graphics hardware in...2013?
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JohnP
December 19, 2011 at 5:49pm
Yeah, this comment had me wondering for a moment there too. I have it cranked up to 2560 by 1440 and have some heavy duty high res mods already loaded. It looks (and sounds) terrific on my PC. With all of the mods that will be coming out, a PC will also be the best way to run it, not that I need any more excuses to play...
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Adam Wolfe
December 18, 2011 at 6:39pm
They could be better and already are on the PC version. Especially with HD texture mods.
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Erris
December 18, 2011 at 4:07pm
Hopefully all those sales make Bethesda get some people working on bug fixes.
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Papaspud
December 18, 2011 at 4:06pm
I have to say, I really enjoy Skyrim, even with the bugs. Yo people that don't like it.....don't play. To each his own and for millions, this is a very fun game.
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yammerpickle2
December 18, 2011 at 4:04pm
Skyrim is not without its faults, and the console roots are really annoying. But still a good game and will be there is already plenty of mods. I just wish they had developed it for the PC, and then detuned it for console hardware. I’ve downloaded better textures and it does make it a better game, but the user interface is a console catastrophe. Just imagine how good it would have been if it had been developed in Direct X 11 with hi resolution textures, and included all the stuff that consoles could not support. And yes I have a Wii and PS3, but rarely use the consoles as the PC is just better.
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DJ_Smoke
December 19, 2011 at 2:47am
good post, i've modded the hell out of mine and it does make it better, but you have to think... why am i modding a BRAND NEW game to make it look better, i mean maybe a year or two later... but out of the box??? thats messed up! granted my buddy came by after playing the hell out of the ps3 vesion said "damn that looks sick!" but his ps3 (and mine) is a piece of crap next to my{expensive} pc..
I just hope the BF3 numbers come back good and it convinces developers to come back to where it all started...Have you seen BF3 on a killer pc? It's sick, crysis 2 boys eat your hearts out.... the dx11 patch did make i look better but the scale of 64 pc players is crazy in comparison..
want to argue? first jump into a BF3 jet, fly up a couple thousand feet then dive bomb and tell me the game that can equal that in scope.... all while providing ground based infantry that is second to none...
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abowlofsoda
December 18, 2011 at 3:36pm
I dont play Call of Duty but I am definately enjoying Skyrim. You either do or do not like it. I don't understand where the conspiracy is.
Consoles are definately holding us PC gamers back but it is where the money is and that is a fact of life right now that some of you need to get thru your brains!
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igoka
December 18, 2011 at 12:55pm
Title is " Skrim is the Fastest-Selling Steam Game Ever " can you fix it .
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praetor_alpha
December 18, 2011 at 12:35pm
Let's list how much industry bullshit that Skyrim goes against:
- Online pass
- Multiplayer required
- Always online DRM (a la Ubisoft)
- Short single player experience
- 100% composed of linear scripted levels
- Gritty modern era realism
- Purposely leave content out for DLC
- Yearly iterations
Yet it sells millions, and wins awards. HOW???
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msonic
December 18, 2011 at 12:26pm
Steam used to sell MW3, but then it took an arrow in the knee. (the good kind)
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Marthian
December 18, 2011 at 10:25pm
I used to take arrows to the knee, but then I became an adventurer.
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mattman059
December 18, 2011 at 12:58pm
I used to make jokes about taking an arrow in the knee...but then I took an arrow in the knee.....
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MastaGuy
December 18, 2011 at 11:49am
I glad a game that was made with pure sweat and tears sold well. I can't wait to buy Skyrim.
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