Skyrim is Steam’s Fastest Selling Game, Has Shipped 10M Physical Copies

Well, it’s not Modern Warfare 3-type numbers, but Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is doing pretty darned well. The latest news on the game’s success comes from Valve, which says that the game is the fastest-selling title in Steam’s history.

According to a post on Eurogamer, Valve’s director of business development Jason Holtman had nothing but praise for the game that’s torn up their sales charts:

“Bethesda’s commitment to and understanding of the PC as a gaming platform shows in the great review scores, spectacular launch, and continued high player numbers that Skyrim has received. We are delighted that Bethesda chose to use Steamworks to support Skyrim both at retail and digitally.”

The post goes on to add that ZeniMax, Bethesda’s parent company, has released figures saying that 10 million physical copies of the game have been shipped, “represent[ing] around $650 million in retail sales since launch.”

Of course, represented sales and actual sales are two different things—shipping units isn’t the same as selling them. But it’s no secret that this thing is selling like gangbusters. GANGBUSTERS I TELL YOU!

“We are most grateful to our fans for their support and enthusiasm for the game, and their love of the hundreds of hours of gameplay it offers. We continue to strive to deliver the highest quality entertainment experience for everyone,” said ZeniMax’s Robert Altman. “2012 will be another huge year for our fans, with the release of the Creation Kit, as well as exciting DLC which will add to the richness of this epic adventure.”

Of course, I still have yet to play this game. Winter is coming, and it’s coming harsh here in Minnesota. Part of me thinks it might not be the worst thing in the world to bundle up in a chair and just dive in…but another part of me values reading books and not just snacking my way into obesity. Note: this is not a commentary on what gamers do, but rather what I would do with the digital equivalent of crack.

Maybe someday I’ll know what all this “arrow to the knee” business is about…

Via Eurogamer