Zenimax has announced that Skyrim has shipped 7 million copies in the first week. They sent a PR to the press just a few minutes ago. They also mentioned that it is expected to generate more than $500 million in global retail sales.

With tens of thousands of fans lining up at retail outlets at midnight on 11/11/11 to purchase the game, Skyrim continued to record strong sales following its release. More than 50% of launch units were sold in the first 48 hours and Bethesda Softworks has been receiving large reorders from major retailers in the North America, and across Europe and Australia.

Online activity has been notable, with Steam reporting that in the first 24 hours of its release, Skyrim set a record with over 280,000 concurrent players, far outdistancing all other titles.

“We are grateful for the fans’ response to Skyrim,” said Robert Altman, Chairman and CEO of ZeniMax Media. “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.”

Todd Howard was pleased with the news and said that it’s their most ambitious project ever.

“Without a doubt, this has been our most ambitious project ever,” said Todd Howard, Game Director on Skyrim. “After over three years of development, we’re finally excited to get it into everyone’s hands.”

Please check out our in-depth coverage of the game here.

The game is available on the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 and is sitting pretty at 96 Metacritic.

UPDATE: Bethesda mailed us that they are expecting $450 million in revenue and not $500 million, so corrected!