Skyrim Reaches Number One on the UK Christmas Chart
By Yannick LeJacq | December 19, 2011 | News | No comments | Share
Despite some middling performance issues and correspondingly frustrating patches, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has had an impressive and unprecedented performance, both critically and financially, since its release last month. And while this sprawling, expansive, and beautiful RPG stood its own against the industry-shattering likes of Modern Warfare 3, it recently did one better by beating out cash cows like Just Dance and the latest Call of Duty for the number one spot for Christmas sales charts in the UK.
According to the sales tracking firm Chart-Track and reported by Gamasutra, sales for Bethesda’s latest installment in The Elder Scrolls franchise fell some 8 percent week-over-week, but still held on to the top spot for the week ending December 17, 2011. This comes after news that Skyrim recently became the fastest selling game ever on Steam, boasting a record number of simultaneous users on Valve’s platform.
This coveted sales position also ended EA and Activision’s eight year stint as number one for Christmas sales in the UK. Beginning in 2003 with EA’s Medal of Honor: Rising Sun, it seemed like a sure spot for Activision this year, given Modern Warfare 3′s month-long reign at the top of all the UK sales charts and its record-breaking $1 billion in sales in little more than two weeks.
The critical and commercial success of Skyrim has surprised many people, even including the game’s developers. Game director Todd Howard expressed his awe for the game’s meteoric rise at this year’s Video Game Awards, where Skyrim took home the game of the year award: ”We thought it would do well, but it has gone above and beyond.” It will be interesting to see how this unprecedented success for such an immersive and time-intensive RPG will influence the industry in years to come.
Below are Chart-Track’s sales charts for the Christmas season, listing both all-platform sales and individual platform charts.
UK All-Platforms Top 10
1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda)
2. Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft)
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision)
4. FIFA 12 (EA)
5. Saints Row: The Third (THQ)
6. Battlefield 3 (EA)
7. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Ubisoft)
8. Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega)
9. Need For Speed: The Run (EA)
10. Professor Layton and the Spectre’s Call (Level 5)
UK Individual Platforms Top 10
1. Just Dance 3 (Ubisoft, Wii)
2. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda, Xbox 360)
3. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision, Xbox 360)
4. Saints Row: The Third (THQ, Xbox 360)
5. Mario & Sonic London 2012 Olympic Games (Sega, Wii)
6. FIFA 12 (EA, Xbox 360)
7. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (Ubisoft, Xbox 360)
8. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision, PS3)
9. Professor Layton and the Spectre’s Call (Level 5, DS)
10. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Bethesda, PS3)
