Starfield continues to fly into broader horizons, hitting the ten million player mark across platforms. It’s no wonder that Bethesda’s newest RPG was meant to break records, even though scepticism for a game that expands beyond known universes could have posed a threat. However, Bethesda’s innovative ways of using familiar mechanics and gameplay loops in a novel environment haven’t gone unnoticed, as new players constantly become a part of Bethesda’s vision for gaming’s ‘new tomorrow’.
A single-player experience in space is exactly what many players were craving, while others wanted to experience familiar Bethesda storytelling that we’ve loved in the last few decades.
Thank you to more than 10 million #Starfield explorers for creating the biggest launch in Bethesda history. pic.twitter.com/pTOQrxvOtB
— Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) September 19, 2023
Starfield Garners Success Despite Its Exclusivity
Despite the recent FTC, Microsoft, and Xbox drama, Starfield’s successful launch might tell us something important. While PlayStation gamers may have been disappointed by the game’s exclusivity, there’s also a significant drop in sales that ‘could have been’ if the title launched on all platforms. We can only imagine the number of players and sales Bethesda could have envisioned if not for Game Pass/Xbox and Steam exclusivity.
Regardless of the game’s limited availability, the player count is a fantastic sign for the future of Starfield. Not only does it showcase Bethesda’s consistency in masterful storytelling and immersive experiences, but it also sends a powerful message to the Xbox community. After all these years, perhaps we can truly put our faith in developers crafting exploration-rich gaming experiences.
Read Also: “Frankly, we are not sad to see them go”: Starfield Mod That Removed Pronoun Options Gets the Boot
Starfield continues to rely on several factors like modding support (coming to us in 2024), additional improvements to the quality of life and the much-awaited expansion, Shattered Space.
Starfield – A Clear Victory for Game Pass
PC players tend to enjoy a vast library of games every year. 2023 saw one of Bethesda’s biggest sales on Steam, with Starfield passing Skyrim’s all-time player count. And that’s just the Steam bit. At present, Game Pass has crossed 25 million subscribers. All of them had day-one access to the game’s launch. Game Pass has had quite an impressive library since its launch in 2017, and there’s no reason for players to stop subscribing to the service now.
Read Also: CDPR Urges Fresh Playthrough for Cyberpunk 2077 2.0
Though Game Pass’ spotlight is bright for the future of Xbox, Phil Spencer had his doubts regarding the game’s delayed launch for the platform, as referred to by the recent Microsoft leaks:
“We keep talking about a big AAA a quarter in the service [Game Pass] and it feels like we are likely to go through a gap of almost 16 months between big exclusive launches on our platform.”
“This is really a disaster situation for us given all we’ve invested in content across studios at our GP content fund.”
What do you think about Starfield’s success despite Spencer’s apprehensions? Do you think Starfield will be able to maintain its player base? Let us know in the comments.
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