Internet whinging aside, it looks like the launch of Fallout 4 has been a huge success.
Bethesda has revealed some of the numbers behind the game’s first week on sale. And they’re pretty big.
Most impressive is the top line number of 12 million copies shipped to stores worldwide. That figure is staggering in itself but Bethesda have also announced that they are continuing to ship copies of the game, with some retail chains saying demand is the highest of any title released so far this year.
Expected sales translate into over $750 million generated in revenue. In addition, Fallout 4 has been a huge hit on Steam and its companion app has shot to the top of the iTunes charts, even if some people are having problems connecting it to the game.
Fallout 4 release in numbers
- Units available at launch: 12 million
- Expected sales: +$750 million
- Concurrent Steam plays: 470,000
- Pip-Boy App iTunes games chart position: 1
- E3 awards: 160
- Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Editions available to buy in store: 0
Vlatko Andonov, President of Bethesda Softworks praised the development team for their efforts in creating the game:
“We’re extremely proud of Todd Howard, Game Director at Bethesda Game Studios, and his experienced team of developers for their talent and dedication in creating this extraordinary game. Fallout 4 is a masterpiece in game development and storytelling, providing fans hundreds of hours of fun as they explore and are challenged by this fascinating, beautifully crafted world.”
The game made a big splash with its announcement at E3 in June, where it won over 160 awards including the Game Critics Award for ‘Best of Show’.
Since release Fallout 4 has received slightly more mixed reviews from the industry’s critics. Much praise has been directed at the game’s storytelling, detailed world, crafting systems and emergent gameplay. However, there has been criticism from some quarters – mainly focusing on the game’s bugs and its similarity to Fallout 3.
I don’t think Bethesda will be losing too much sleep over those reviews right now.
