Fallout 4 sales to "surpass those of Skyrim," according UK retail predictions

GAME UK expects Fallout 4 sales to "surpass those of Skyrim" due to the number of pre-orders taken since the game's announcement last week.

Speaking with MCV, GAME’s third party content manager Mandip Bhachoo said it is always a "defining moment for the world of video games" when Bethesda launches a new title, but with many triple-A titles being delayed into 2016, retailers are crossing their fingers, hoping Fallout 4 doesn't suffer the same face.

“It’s really important that Fallout 4 hits this year and doesn’t become yet another marquee title that slips into 2016,” Simply Games boss Steve Moore told MCV. “It’s very encouraging that Bethesda has announced a date so early on for Fallout 4.

"To bring it out within days of this year’s Call of Duty shows massive faith in the title."

Moore went on to say early estimates for the title indicate it will be "one of the biggest releases" of 2015 if it maintains its November 10 release date.

There's no doubt Fallout 4 will be a top seller considering the IP's popularity. Released in October 2008, Fallout 3 shipped over 4.7 million by the end of 2008, which is around $282 million. (Fallout: New Vegas was developed by Obsidian Entertainment, not Bethesda Games Studios, but just because someone may bring it up, the game shipped 4.7 during launch week which adds up to $300 million.)

Skyrim, on the other hand, sold over 20 million units between its November 11, 2011 release and the end of January 2014. If you ignore discounts offered through various sales promotions, that's around $1.2 billion deposited into Bethesda's bank account.

That's a huge number to live up to, and since we don't have sales numbers beyond these dates for either Fallout 3 or Skyrim, it's safe to assume the figures for both have increased tremendously.

That being said, we have to agree with GAME UK's obvious assessment: Fallout 4 will sell gangbusters at launch. It will also continue to see steady sales a couple years out. Because mods. (ducks under her desk)