The fifth instalment in the Elder Scrolls franchise, Skyrim, will unlock on Steam at midnight on November 11th, its worldwide launch date. However, despite the fact physical PC copies of the game won’t be playable until the Steam unlock, Amazon are among a small handful of retailers who have refused to ship the game early. Some retailers have sent out copies that will arrive on November 10th, and thus allow the owner to start playing the game at the midnight unlock; others, including Amazon, have chosen to ship copies to arrive in time for November 11th, meaning that while they’ll meet launch day, they’ll be up to sixteen hours late for the unlock.

“I just think it’s disappointing that Amazon aren’t prepared to offer their customers the same quality of service as their competitors do,” said one disgruntled customer, who considered cancelling his pre-order and purchasing the game from elsewhere for a shot at playing the game at the midnight launch. While many retailers take cases of street dates being broken very seriously, the PC version’s discs are encrypted, ensuring the game can’t be played until the Steam unlock at midnight. “If they want to compete with digital sales then they need to deliver the thing on damn time, not 12-14 hours after the unlock time.”

When challenged, an Amazon customer service representative said only “Please do note that your order would be dispatched as soon as possible and you would receive your order by November 11, 2011 as promised”. Those who have bought digital copies of the game on Steam are perhaps the luckiest: they’ll be able to pre-load the game’s content on November 10th and immediately start playing at midnight. Gamers attending midnight openings at high street retailers will also get a chance to pick up a copy earlier than those who’ve pre-ordered theirs from Amazon, even with first class delivery.

Related Pages

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

 

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Jamie
My copy from Amazon arrived on the 10th
10th November 2011, 11:29 AM - reply - report

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Jaina
You’re in Europe Jamie? or your UPS guy delivers early? How did yours arrive already?
10th November 2011, 12:11 PM - reply - report

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dan
mine dispatched yesteday morning so hoping it comes today
10th November 2011, 1:16 PM - reply - report

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cb43569
Are you in the US?
10th November 2011, 9:45 PM - reply - report

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Jamie
No Iäm in the UK, it got dispatched on wednesday. I have Amazon Prime so 1st Class.
10th November 2011, 10:20 PM - reply - report

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Chris
Hah. How reliable is this when the article can’t even get the right number for the game? Skyrim is the fifth in the series.
10th November 2011, 11:33 AM - reply - report

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cb43569
Thanks for pointing this out. We’ve corrected the mistake.
10th November 2011, 11:38 AM - reply - report

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Steveonapiece
What the hell I just wrote an article recently pointing out that it was the fifth, surely other staff would remember.
10th November 2011, 4:38 PM - reply - report

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asmallmoon
Jesus, it was mistake. Doesn’t say anything about the website.
10th November 2011, 5:02 PM - reply - report

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Tom
I didnt get mine today :( but i dont mind getting it tomorrow as long as its arrived by the time i get home from work!
10th November 2011, 11:49 AM - reply - report

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Malcolm
The 11th is a postal holiday meaning no delivery - or am I missing something?
10th November 2011, 12:14 PM - reply - report

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mark
Are you trolling? if so, well done. If not, then to all the gamers affected, i am sorry for your loss.
10th November 2011, 12:34 PM - reply - report

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Dan
thats an american tradition though im in the uk so it wont affect me
10th November 2011, 1:18 PM - reply - report

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Monkey
If there were to ever be an article to perfectly sum up the phrase ‘first-world problems’, this is it.
10th November 2011, 12:52 PM - reply - report

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jon
I’m failing to see how this is bad, or how this “disgruntled customer” has basis for being so angry. Remember when shipping a game so it arrives on launch day was a good thing? And from Amazon’s point of view, shipping the PC version to arrive on the 10th, ahead of the 360 and PS3 versions, would have incited so much negative action on their boards, in the press and to pre-order cancellations, it makes business sense not to ship it out early.
10th November 2011, 1:03 PM - reply - report

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Ed
That’s all well and good, IF they could deliver the 360 version on time in the first place. Which it seems they cannot. Livid.
11th November 2011, 1:39 PM - reply - report

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Abby
Uh, yeah, that’s just the thing. It’s NOT going to arrive on launch day. It will be SHIPPED on launch day, meaning it will take a week to arrive.
11th November 2011, 9:28 PM - reply - report

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Loïc
Ordered it from amazon as their adds said I would get it by the 10th…got confirmation e-mail yesterday saying it would arrive on the 18th :[ cancel!!!
10th November 2011, 1:06 PM - reply - report

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Gray
Symptomatic of modern day society that people are whinging over having to wait 12 hours… not many of the ‘28 days for delivery’ generation left it seems…
10th November 2011, 1:32 PM - reply - report

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Abby
Correction: having to wait a week. It will be shipped on the 11th. Ours will arrive on the 17th.
11th November 2011, 9:29 PM - reply - report

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Boydboyd
They dispatched my copy today, on the 10th. I tried to cancel a few hours before it was dispatched, but they wouldn’t let me.

Steam has almost finished pre-loading, i’ll be returning my copy to amazon when it arrives.

The odd thing is one of my friend had his copy posted on the 8th :(
10th November 2011, 4:29 PM - reply - report

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Mart
My pre-order from Amazon arrived at my house in the UK this morning via Royal Mail
10th November 2011, 4:50 PM - reply - report

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cb43569
Where in the UK do you live?
10th November 2011, 6:56 PM - reply - report

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Martin Wilson
Newcastle Under Lyme :)
10th November 2011, 10:06 PM - reply - report

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renoredhead
Lol, funny name of where you live.
11th November 2011, 1:01 PM - reply - report

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Gary
Amazon’s release day delivery is a guaranteed dervice, which means if you paid for release day delivery (First Class or One Day) with a delivery estimate of the 11th and you don’t receive it that day, then on the 12th you’re entitled to a refund of your shipping charges.
10th November 2011, 7:31 PM - reply - report

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Connor
I picked up a hard PC copy today (10th) and am preloading now. I don’t like that I have to download the pre-load rather than install of disc, but I’ll live. I cancelled my Amazon pre-order yesterday, simply because I knew I’d be able to buy a hard copy today, but I’m pretty glad I did now, after this. ^^
10th November 2011, 7:44 PM - reply - report

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Colbydude
*Gets it from the interweb.*
10th November 2011, 7:45 PM - reply - report

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renoredhead
ON THE INTERNETS!
11th November 2011, 1:01 PM - reply - report

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Olly
Reading the customer forum on the Amazon Skyrim section, they’ve messed up the orders for a lot of people, from those who chose expedited to first class to paying for it to get to them on release day, this includes myself.

A friend o’ mine pre-ordered it from GAME on the 1st of November while I pre-ordered it from Amazon in September and he got his yesterday!

Really disappointed with Amazon and won’t be doing business with them anymore. I’m deleting my account as soon as the game gets here.. when it gets here.
11th November 2011, 1:57 PM - reply - report

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ross
im really dissapointed been waiting ro this game for 3 years i agree with you will all be getting it the morn for xbox 360 and ps3 :>(
11th November 2011, 2:15 PM - reply - report

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ed
mine didn’t even come on 11th, that’s the last time I buy a game from amazon
11th November 2011, 6:00 PM - reply - report

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J
My copy for PS3 Hasn’t arived yet, even though I payed for it to be delivered on release date(pre ordered) 3 weeks ago. Im Really annoyed about this
11th November 2011, 6:01 PM - reply - report

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ross
i know really anoyed aswell pre ordered it on monday and payed extra for the release date :(xbox 360
11th November 2011, 9:34 PM - reply - report

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AMAZON
I think we can all agree I fail At pre-orders.
11th November 2011, 6:02 PM - reply - report

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lewisnelson
My brother hasn’t got his, which is a shame for him but, I love to see him suffer ^^;
11th November 2011, 7:32 PM - reply - report

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x-SYCO-x
This is gay! you bastards have to only wait for a matter of hours….. i have to wait 24-36 of em!!!! pissin me off but if it dont come tomorrow im cancelling.
11th November 2011, 8:12 PM - reply - report

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Matt
My copy still hasn’t arrived. in conclusion, Amazon are as useless as the pope’s balls.
11th November 2011, 8:07 PM - reply - report

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Phil
Amazon telling me that mine is estimated to arrive on November 16th…
Speechless…
11th November 2011, 10:09 PM - reply - report

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My copy shipped from Reno, and is scheduled for Monday delivery, I’d rather have 4 bucks for their saturday shipping!
12th November 2011, 3:44 AM - reply - report

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Chnmmr
I didn’t even receive my game on the 11th OR 12th, despite prerdering the second it was available. There goes my weekend of enjoying the game.

This is the first time Amazon has truly disappointed me.
12th November 2011, 5:01 PM - reply - report

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Groovyboarder
Mine arrived in the post from Amazon this morning!3 days late despite the fact I also pre-ordered it.

Bought it from a shop over the weekend (and got the paper-esque map!). Needless to say the Amazon copy is going back unopened.
14th November 2011, 12:43 PM - reply - report

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