Microsoft Gaming to release Starfield exclusively, boss Phil Spencer reveals ambitious vision

Phil Spencer Xbox - CC BY-SA

CEO of Microsoft Gaming Phil Spencer is aiming to make the Xbox exclusive video game, Starfield, the most-played video game.

Starfield is an upcoming sci-fi RPG video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks set to release on November 11, 2022.

The studio is best known for its work in Fallout and The Elder Scrolls series landing many gaming awards, and player base.

Starfield as exclusive release

However, unlike the recent installments to both series, Bethesda will only be releasing Starfield exclusively for Xbox Series X/S and Microsoft Windows. The game will be available via the Game Pass on the day of release.

The decision for being an Xbox exclusive is due to Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of Bethesda and its parent company, ZeniMax Media. However, previous Bethesda’s hit video games, Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim had sold more copies on PlayStation than Xbox. The success also garnered more attention to the studio’s other games.

While it left some fans disappointed, Spencer thought otherwise.

The Microsoft Gaming CEO wants to make Starfield the studio’s most-played game to date after seeing how Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite’s post-release peak performance.

“I love the Forza 5 and Halo stats…I love how many people played Psychonauts 2 vs. Psychonauts 1. So, when I look at the teams when Todd and I talk about Starfield, it’s: ‘How do we make sure this is the most-played Todd Howard game ever?” Spencer said.

Branding Spencer’s claim as optimistic is an understatement. Spencer had high hopes for Starfield regardless of it being an exclusive and he is supporting the game with everything he got.

However, being the studio’s most-played game ever means that it must beat Skyrim which has become a pop culture phenomenon selling 30 million copies since it was released in 2011.

What is known so far about Starfield

Starfield was first teased during Bethesda’s E3 Press Conference in 2018. Set in a space-themed world. Starfield has been described as an entirely new next-generation RPG experience.

Still, there is not much to know from the yet another official teaser trailer released in June 2021, showing the game’s alpha in-game footage of a space base and even a video of the game developers discussing the game in November last year led fans with more questions than answers.

However, a recent leak according to a report by GamesRadar+ suggests that every planet in Starfield is bigger than the map of Skyrim. Allowing players to pull hundreds of hours into this brand new adventure experience.

In an interview with the Washington Post, the Starfield development team provided slightly more details about the game. The studio’s living legend Todd Howard said “It’s like Skyrim in space,” while Bethesda managing director Ashley Cheng compared the game with Star Wars.

“For me, Starfield is the Han Solo simulator. Get in a ship, explore the galaxy, do fun stuff,” Cheng said.

Besides that, there is not much to make about Starfield’s story details, locations, gameplay showcase, the game system, and what fans can expect from the upcoming video game.