Skyrim Ships 10M; "Fastest Selling Title in Steam's History"

ZeniMax announces having shipped 10 million copies of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and quotes Valve's Jason Holtman calling the RPG sequel "the fastest selling title in Steam's history." Here are the relevant quotes:
December 15, 2011 (Rockville, MD) – ZeniMax® Media Inc. today announced that 10 million units of Bethesda Softworks’® The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim have been shipped for the Xbox 360® video game entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, and PC, representing approximately $650 million in retail sales since its release on November 11. The PC version of Skyrim in North America outsold all other PC games by a factor of over three to one in the month of its release. Large retail reorders across all platforms and record-breaking digital sales reflect the ongoing global demand by consumers excited to explore this extraordinary fantasy epic.
[…]
“Skyrim is the fastest selling title in Steam's history” said Jason Holtman, Director of Business Development at Valve Corporation. “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.”
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66.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 19, 2011, 02:52
Dev
66.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 19, 2011, 02:52
Dec 19, 2011, 02:52
Dev
 
Prez wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 15:35:
However, 2 million PC sales is nothing to scoff at and warrants better ports by Bethesda.

Especially when each one of those PC units sold likely yields higher profits because Bethesda didn't have to pay Sony or Microsoft the 10-dollar-per-unit charge it costs to have their game on those consoles. At least that's what I've read that it costs.
Actually the difference is even more stark.
Valve keeps something like 30% for steam titles, so beth ends up with around $40 for each $60 sale on steam.

In retail console, gamestop takes a chunk, distributor takes a chunk, MS/Sony takes a chunk, the devs only end up with around $15 out of the $60.

So despite there being lots more console sales, they are making at LEAST double the profit on each steam sale.

So if skyrim did at least 2 million on steam (which I have no trouble believing, its only 1/5th of console sales, and when you look at previous titles valve has bragged about like L4D titles, its in line with being more than those numbers recently after release), then its actually equivalent to more than 4 million console sales in terms of profit.

Which makes it even more sad that beth didn't put a tiny bit more effort into making the PC version special.

I haven't bought it yet, but I will. I've bought many of beth's other titles and have always been happy (especially after they get patched and have some DLC and mods)

This comment was edited on Dec 19, 2011, 03:54.
65.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; "Fastest Selling Title in Steam's History"
Dec 19, 2011, 01:28
Dev
65.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; "Fastest Selling Title in Steam's History" Dec 19, 2011, 01:28
Dec 19, 2011, 01:28
Dev
 
But But But.... I thought PC gaming was dead?
64.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 18, 2011, 20:36
64.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 18, 2011, 20:36
Dec 18, 2011, 20:36
 
theyarecomingforyou wrote on Dec 18, 2011, 11:24:
Jerykk wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 20:45:
I'm waiting for a mod(s) that makes companions die instead of yielding, stops the automatic healing and gives them finite arrows. That should make them much more balanced because if you just sit back and let your companion take all the aggro, they'll die.
Companions do die. I've had it happen to me several times. Heck, they'll die immediately if you cast Fire Storm (the Master level Destruction spell) with them nearby.

The trouble is if they up the difficulty setting then when enemies attack you or your companion gets lost then you'll simply die much more easily. And they're already pretty moronic, managing to set off virtually every trap lying around dungeons.

I think it's pretty obvious. If you want a companion then they're there; if not then don't have one. But as a mage I find them useful to have, mainly because not wearing armour makes me a lot more vulnerable. I could play without them but I'd just end up needing to use potions more often, so it would just be more fiddly than difficult.

The companions are stupid, this is true. However, the benefits of having a companion far outweigh the downsides. I actually want to use companions but they simply make the game far too easy. With better balancing, this would not be an issue.
Avatar 20715
63.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 18, 2011, 11:39
63.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 18, 2011, 11:39
Dec 18, 2011, 11:39
 
Creston wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 22:52:
StingingVelvet wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 22:15:
We suggest you use the mod manager because extracting a rar to the data folder is SO fucking complicated!

No, but uninstalling a particular mod that you manually installed can be quite a pain in the ass.

Creston

Yup.

Mod managers also help you sort out the load order. It's silly not to use one.

Avatar 18037
62.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 18, 2011, 11:24
62.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 18, 2011, 11:24
Dec 18, 2011, 11:24
 
Jerykk wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 20:45:
I'm waiting for a mod(s) that makes companions die instead of yielding, stops the automatic healing and gives them finite arrows. That should make them much more balanced because if you just sit back and let your companion take all the aggro, they'll die.
Companions do die. I've had it happen to me several times. Heck, they'll die immediately if you cast Fire Storm (the Master level Destruction spell) with them nearby.

The trouble is if they up the difficulty setting then when enemies attack you or your companion gets lost then you'll simply die much more easily. And they're already pretty moronic, managing to set off virtually every trap lying around dungeons.

I think it's pretty obvious. If you want a companion then they're there; if not then don't have one. But as a mage I find them useful to have, mainly because not wearing armour makes me a lot more vulnerable. I could play without them but I'd just end up needing to use potions more often, so it would just be more fiddly than difficult.
"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."
Avatar 22891
61.
 
Re: On Sale
Dec 18, 2011, 01:54
61.
Re: On Sale Dec 18, 2011, 01:54
Dec 18, 2011, 01:54
 
One MUST HAVE mod coupled with SkyUI is the Expanded Favorites Menu mod:
http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3545

Currently since there's a lot of configuration options, using the Nexus Mod Manager to configure this mod to your liking is highly recommended.

Avatar 23638
60.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 22:52
60.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 22:52
Dec 17, 2011, 22:52
 
StingingVelvet wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 22:15:
We suggest you use the mod manager because extracting a rar to the data folder is SO fucking complicated!

No, but uninstalling a particular mod that you manually installed can be quite a pain in the ass.

Creston
Avatar 15604
59.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; "Fastest Selling Title in Steam's History"
Dec 17, 2011, 22:15
59.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; "Fastest Selling Title in Steam's History" Dec 17, 2011, 22:15
Dec 17, 2011, 22:15
 
We suggest you use the mod manager because extracting a rar to the data folder is SO fucking complicated!
Avatar 54622
58.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 20:45
58.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 20:45
Dec 17, 2011, 20:45
 
I'm waiting for a mod(s) that makes companions die instead of yielding, stops the automatic healing and gives them finite arrows. That should make them much more balanced because if you just sit back and let your companion take all the aggro, they'll die.
Avatar 20715
57.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; "Fastest Selling Title in Steam's History"
Dec 17, 2011, 20:39
57.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; "Fastest Selling Title in Steam's History" Dec 17, 2011, 20:39
Dec 17, 2011, 20:39
 
They barely hurt anything with their arrows, but the aggro redirection is annoying. Enemies will just run back and forth between you and the follower so you'll end up taking less damage and dealing more. I stopped taking them out once I started to get higher level, because otherwise the game is just too easy.
56.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 20:30
56.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 20:30
Dec 17, 2011, 20:30
 
Suddenly_Dead wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 18:13:
Jerykk wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 13:23:
I like the generic companions of Skyrim. They're basically mercenaries you have tag along with you. If they die, they die. Annoying when they're carrying 300 pounds of loot for you in the middle of Blackreach, but so be it.

Can they even die? I thought they just get temporarily stunned.

They "yield" and the other NPCs attack someone else. Most of them can still die though; if you accidently hit them while they're yielding, or if no one else is around to get the attacker's attention (like if you've run away and left your companion alone). Traps don't seem to be able to kill them while they're yielding, though.

The yielding seems pretty broken, since companions recover pretty quickly and then draw all the aggro from any enemies that are attacking you. In fact, companions in general feel really unbalanced. They make the game ridiculously easy, as they draw all the attention away from you and let you attack without repercussion. They also have unlimited arrows and automatically heal outside of combat.
Avatar 20715
55.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 18:13
55.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 18:13
Dec 17, 2011, 18:13
 
Jerykk wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 13:23:
I like the generic companions of Skyrim. They're basically mercenaries you have tag along with you. If they die, they die. Annoying when they're carrying 300 pounds of loot for you in the middle of Blackreach, but so be it.

Can they even die? I thought they just get temporarily stunned.

They "yield" and the other NPCs attack someone else. Most of them can still die though; if you accidently hit them while they're yielding, or if no one else is around to get the attacker's attention (like if you've run away and left your companion alone). Traps don't seem to be able to kill them while they're yielding, though.
54.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 17:21
54.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 17:21
Dec 17, 2011, 17:21
 
Jerykk wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 15:48:
The first version of SkyUI has been released and is pretty awesome. Bethesda should hire the guy to handle the PC UI for all their future games.

http://skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3863

Yep and its great. I strongly advise everybody to download it and give it a go.
53.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 16:03
53.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 16:03
Dec 17, 2011, 16:03
 
Jerykk wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 15:48:
The first version of SkyUI has been released and is pretty awesome. Bethesda should hire the guy to handle the PC UI for all their future games.

http://skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3863

More than one person has contributed. Also, only the inventory is done. The magic menu, containers menu and whatever else will have to wait for future versions, but the inventory menu shows what can be done with scaleform on the PC.

It requires SKSE and is most easily installed with Skyrim Mod Manager.
Avatar 20761
52.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 16:02
52.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 16:02
Dec 17, 2011, 16:02
 
Jerykk wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 13:23:
I like the generic companions of Skyrim. They're basically mercenaries you have tag along with you. If they die, they die. Annoying when they're carrying 300 pounds of loot for you in the middle of Blackreach, but so be it.

Can they even die? I thought they just get temporarily stunned.

They lose all aggro when they get stunned, but they CAN die. If they get caught in an AEO spell, or if you happen to accidentally (or not) hit them, they do die.

Creston
Avatar 15604
51.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 16:00
51.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 16:00
Dec 17, 2011, 16:00
 
Jerykk wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 15:48:
The first version of SkyUI has been released and is pretty awesome. Bethesda should hire the guy to handle the PC UI for all their future games.

http://skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3863

Awesome. Thanks for linking!

Creston
Avatar 15604
50.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 15:48
50.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 15:48
Dec 17, 2011, 15:48
 
The first version of SkyUI has been released and is pretty awesome. Bethesda should hire the guy to handle the PC UI for all their future games.

http://skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=3863
Avatar 20715
49.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 15:35
Prez
 
49.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 15:35
Dec 17, 2011, 15:35
 Prez
 
However, 2 million PC sales is nothing to scoff at and warrants better ports by Bethesda.

Especially when each one of those PC units sold likely yields higher profits because Bethesda didn't have to pay Sony or Microsoft the 10-dollar-per-unit charge it costs to have their game on those consoles. At least that's what I've read that it costs.
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
- Mahatma Gandhi
Avatar 17185
48.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 15:32
48.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 15:32
Dec 17, 2011, 15:32
 
Nucas wrote on Dec 17, 2011, 14:38:
it was seeing this comment at the top that assured me i was missing no conversation of consequence here.
Yeah, pretty much.
“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception.” -- Carl Sagan
47.
 
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M;
Dec 17, 2011, 15:15
47.
Re: Skyrim Ships 10M; Dec 17, 2011, 15:15
Dec 17, 2011, 15:15
 
I would say that this will have negative results on any future Fallout releases. The corporate number crunchers will want more of ES/Skyrim in future Fallout due to numbers of sales of a similar engine. I just replayed F1 and F2 and with the appalling console ports being released it looks like I will just replay old stuff.

I am having fun with Skyrim on its own, but am sick of just getting a console port, they complain about PC specific optimization but they are just getting lazy and are after the easy money, mostly once again affected by the same thing plaguing most everything.... corporate greed and inefficiency. They just are not using PC's to their potential.

This comment was edited on Dec 17, 2011, 15:52.
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