The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim ships 7 million copies

Bethesda’s epic new RPG, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has enjoyed a massive opening week despite sharing a launch window with Modern Warfare 3.

Skyrim has shipped 7 million copies to retailers around the world and managed to sell over half of those copies within the first 48 hours.

“We are grateful for the fans’ response to Skyrim. Todd Howard and his team at Bethesda Game Studios have crafted a very special game”, said Robert Altman, the boss of Bethesda’s parent ZeniMax.  “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.”

“Without a doubt, this has been our most ambitious project ever,” said Todd Howard, Game Director on Skyrim. “After over three years of development, we’re finally excited to get it into everyone’s hands.”

The eagerly-awaited title has garnered more than 50 perfect review scores, earning praise from some of the industry’s most influential and respected critics including: USA Today, G4TV, GameSpy, Wired, Eurogamer, Destructoid, GamePro, Official Xbox Magazine, Joystiq, The Guardian, and GamesRadar. G4TV describes Skyrim as “one of the greatest games ever made” and Eurogamer was one of many outlets to call it a “masterpiece.”