The community response hasn’t gone unnoticed by Bethesda, either. In fact, at least one studio employee thinks Fallout 4 has what it takes to be one of the all-time greats. In fact, Bethesda’s Vice-President of PR and marketing, Pete Hines, suggests that the upcoming Fallout 4 could be the developer’s biggest release ever.

That’s a bold claim from any studio, but it’s especially noteworthy coming from the same developers who brought us The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim. Hines clearly believes the record-breaking numbers that followed Skyrim’s release in 2011 are beatable, though, saying:

It’s important to look at Hines’ statement in context. While Fallout 3’s lifetime sales haven’t been publicized, it’s a safe bet they were very strong. For example, the game shipped 4.7 million units within the first three months of its launch, and has continued to produce a strong modding community to this day. While those numbers are impressive, there’s a reason Hines and Bethesda are going to be measuring Fallout 4’s success not by its post-apocalyptic predecessor, but by the lofty heights achieved by Skyrim.

Just how massive were Skyrim’s sales numbers? Try 7 million units within its first week of release alone, and lifetime sales eclipsing 20 million units.

It’s not just the sales figures that make Skyrim such a tough game to surpass, either. The game also holds a number of “fastest selling” records, as well as numerous best RPG and Game of the Year awards. Hines understands this, saying that “Skyrim was a massively big deal” for his studio, but remains confident that Fallout 4 can top it. With reports coming in that some of Bethesda’s own producers are finding new surprises in Fallout 4 after 400 hours of gameplay, its not a stretch to imagine Hines’ isn’t over-exaggerating the game’s potential.

While it’s impossible to predict the future and Fallout 4 might not end up beating out Skyrim’s mind-boggling sales numbers, it’s easy to become a believer. The Fallout 4 Pip-Boy Edition’s sales are hard evidence there’s a big crowd eagerly awaiting the game’s release. All that’s left is to actually play the game, and after the irradiated dust settles, we’ll see if Bethesda has their next record-breaking hit on their hands.

Fallout 4 releases on Xbox One, PS4, and PC on November 10, 2015.

Source: MCV (via VG247)