Bethesda says it shipped $750M and 12M copies for Fallout 4’s launch

Bethesda Softworks said that it shipped 12 million copies, or $750 million worth of postapocalypse role-playing game Fallout 4 to retailers for its launch day. And it says that follow-up shipments have already begun, suggesting that the initial copies have sold out — making it one of the year’s biggest sellers and showing that the series is breaking into the mainstream.

Fallout 4’s launch also shows that while mobile gaming gets many headlines with its $30 billion worldwide industry and nearly $6 billion acquisitions, the console industry remains strong at $25.1 billion in the U.S. alone and at the forefront of innovation. It’s the master of delivering huge interactive experiences that millions of people want , are willing to spend $60 or more for at a time, and can’t get on their smartphones. Virtual reality is becoming a key to Sony’s future strategy with the top-selling PlayStation 4 home system, and both Microsoft’s and Sony’s efforts in delivering games through the cloud and could help every streaming media company figure out how to make their experiences bigger and better by cutting down lag.