Todd Howard has revealed that The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the classic action RPG that he helped direct for Bethesda Game Studios, has now sold over 60 million copies worldwide following its original release in November 2011 for Windows PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 platforms. That figure, if true, would imply that Skyrim is currently the sixth or seventh best-selling game of all time, behind only a handful of other popular titles that include Minecraft (238 million), Tetris (100 million), and Grand Theft Auto V (180 million). The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim had already sold 30 million copies in the five years since its release, according to an interview that Rolling Stone had with Howard dated November 21, 2016.
“We’re sitting here, it’s 12 years after Skyrim, we’re looking at a game that has over 60 million copies (sold), and all these people…are still playing it,” Howard said in his interview with IGN about his latest game, Starfield. “So we have learned that we need to build in from the beginning. A game that has this long term play thought of. Hopefully, people are playing Starfield a long time from now.”
From a Rolling Stone feature:
Rolling Stone: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has sold 30 million copies, which makes it a hit on the scale of Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, Mario. They joked about the game on an episode of NCIS. You can’t get more mainstream than that. What did that kind of success mean for you as a creator?
Todd Howard: Each of our games has found a larger and larger audience, which we never take for granted. A lot of us have worked together for 10, 15, 20 years – in many respects, making the same game. Skyrim was kind of this tipping point. It seemed to hit an audience that we had never had before.
It didn’t change us. But it did make us aware that some of the things we do speak to people who don’t traditionally play games, or don’t traditionally play role-playing games. They make it their own experience, and that was what was most important to us. Putting somebody in a world where they can do what they want. I think that’s what’s special about video games as entertainment.
Discussion (8 replies)
Join Discussion →I suppose it helps when you keep re-releasing it for every platform ever conceived over the years.
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.thegamer.com/every-skyrim-port-ever-released-ranked-from-worst-to-best/[/URL]
Almost every game on the list is on multiple systems as well.
Tetris (520M) - On nearly every single platform since 1988.
Minecraft (238M) - On 18 platforms since 2011.
GTA:V (180M) - On 7 platforms since 2013.
Wii Sports (83M) - Only on the Wii from 2006. [Sold with console]
PUBG - (75M) - 8 platforms since 2017
Mario Kart 8 + Deluxe (62M) - 2 platforms since 2014
Skyrim (60M) - 8 platforms since 2011
Red Dead Redemption 2 (50M) - 4 platforms since 2018
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (50M) - 6 platforms since 2015
Skyrim doesn't really stand out as being "the most ported" game that's helped is sales.
It's by no means unique, just notorious for it
Yep, Bethesda is notorious for all the cash-grab editions it's done. The following is from 2021 and I think there have been more since.
[URL unfurl="true"]https://gamerant.com/skyrim-every-version-of-the-game-released-so-far/[/URL]
Here's a newer post that breaks it down, in a (fairer?) way.
[URL unfurl="true"]https://osgamers.com/frequently-asked-questions/what-is-every-different-version-of-skyrim[/URL]
Still not seeing anything different that other games and companies do. I just dont understand the negativity towards it when literally everyone does it.
Don't forget the upcoming Starfield, which has been described as "Skyrim in space". Does that count?
Might as well.
With that being said, I've not been excited about a new game in a long, long time. This game has me a little excited about coming out. Just trying not to buy into it too much. It might not be everything they claim. Just look at Redfall as a recent example. Not that I was excited, or even knew about the game until it released, but it was hyped up before the release and was a Microsoft first party exclusive.