Skyrim was released to critical acclaim in 2011, and in what is almost a running gag between fans and Bethesda, has continued to be re-released on nearly every platform imaginable. The commitment to these re-releases has seen Skyrim endure throughout the years, and is still one of the most played games on Steam. It’s the bustling modding community that has truly given a long life to Skyrim and is a big part of why people are still receiving merchandise from the game to this day.
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Featured in the post by Redditor totallynotrobboss is a t-shirt printed with its hypothetical in-game weight and value, a replica of the iconic Golden Claw, and a light-up Skyrim logo. The Golden Claw is the star here, with what is clearly a handcrafted gift that recreates one of the most notable objects from the game. Despite the game’s popularity, Bethesda has never fully committed to a wide range of Skyrim merch. It’s a credit to the community that they’ve consistently produced quality work that has allowed other fans to obtain unique pieces that celebrate the game.
The merch was a hit with Reddit’s Skyrim community, with over 3000 upvotes on the first day of posting. Fans took the opportunity to encourage the user to engage in in-jokes from the game with their sister, with user faze_fazebook saying “now you gotta say ‘It means so much to us have the claw back’ everytime your sister passes by.” Skyrim fans are no strangers to memes, with the “arrow to the knee” quips dominating gaming forums in the early 2010s.
The popularity of The Elder Scrolls franchise exploded with the release of Skyrim, bringing it to the mainstream for the first time. Since its release, fans have continued to engage with the game through their real lives, with one couple even using a real-life Amulet of Mara for a proposal. With a long wait for The Elder Scrolls VI still ongoing, only time will tell if its cultural impact will continue as fans get more and more impatient. Even with mods, some fans think Skyrim is starting to look its age, with a new game the only permanent remedy to the problem. T-shirts and golden claws can only fill the void for so long.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is available now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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