Skyrim sells 3.5 million units in first 48 hours - all the details

Bethesda's announced it's sold 3.5 million units of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim in the game's opening 48 hours on sale.

The publisher confirmed it shipped 7 million units for launch, adding it expects to see $450 million in sales.

The sales number wasn't mentioned in the press release, but it does say that "more than 50% of launch units were sold in the first 48 hours."

Over 280,000 concurrent players were playing it on Steam within its first 24 hours, far more than any other game on the service.

"Without a doubt, this has been our most ambitious project ever," said Bethesda Game Studios director Todd Howard. "After over three years of development, we're finally excited to get it into everyone's hands."

Robert Altman, CEO of ZeniMax Media added: "Todd Howard and his team at Bethesda Game Studios have crafted a very special game. 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."

The RPG launched last Friday worldwide for PC, PS3 and 360. The 360 version will get the first two packs of DLC as part of a timed exclusivity deal.