The loss of Starfield and Bethesda is one of the biggest disappointments of being a PlayStation gamer right now. Microsoft made a genius (and expensive) move by buying out one of the biggest names in gaming. PlayStation users will no longer be able to download Fallout 5, Starfield, The Elder Scrolls 6, or any other IP from the company.
The Senior Vice President of Bethesda even apologized to players, which on the surface seems kind. Despite what appears grim, there's more to what the Senior Vice President said than meets the eye. PlayStation and Microsoft may have much more going on than fans realize.
Starfield is an Xbox and Game Pass exclusive
Relic Entertainment's Age of Empires 4, released this October is one of many titles highlighted during Xbox's presence at E3 2021. Starfield may not be available on PlayStation, but Bethesda still wants to make sure as many people as possible experience its games. Yet, they seem to be doing the opposite.
Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, confirmed at E3 that Starfield would not be available on PlayStation. In addition, some Bethesda games will be exclusive to Xbox, as Microsoft hopes to beef up its next-gen console library and Game Pass offerings. Microsoft wants gaming to be a service, so it needs an extensive library.
Starfield: Everything We Know So Far
Todd Howard, Bethesda's executive producer, describes Starfield as "kind of like" The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim, but in space rather than a fantasy world. The game has been in development for a while, and a new trailer revealed in-engine footage and a November 11, 2022 release date during the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase. Also, many noticed that the game will be available on PC and Xbox Series X/S but not on PlayStation 5.
Pete Hines, Bethesda's Senior Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications, told GameSpot Managing Editor Tamoor Hussain that he couldn't soothe fans' concerns about exclusivity. While he apologized, he said he couldn't change Starfield's exclusivity. To quote Pete Hines:
"There's only so much time I can spend being focused on what we're not doing, the actual problem is we're making it for these other platforms, so how is that going, where are we, and when are we ready to talk about these different elements of the game? What Game Pass can do for your title as far as player base and [getting] people active in your game is pretty amazing. I'm super excited for where they are and where they're heading,"
Will PlayStation Have Game Pass?
Hines said that Game Pass' push to make many Xbox games available on day one has also contributed to the service's success. The ZeniMax-owned studios Arkane and id Software have also thrived on platforms such as Game Pass. However, Bethesda often focuses on making its titles available for Game Pass, which has boosted its sales.
He explained that he understands the frustration and anger of many gamers, especially those who have played games where Bethesda supported most major platforms and have become big fans of their products. In addition to Xbox Game Pass, he and Hussain discussed the possibility of PC and console access to significant titles with Xbox Game Pass.
This is just a theory, but Xbox said they don't consider PlayStation a competitor and are trying to go down a different path altogether… What if PlayStation could also benefit from Gamepass? Let's end the console wars, shall we?
The release date for Starfield is November 11, 2022, for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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