Starfield is Xbox’s biggest game of 2022, a game many years in the making and coming from a Bethesda Game Studios team known for The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. By all accounts the game will be a massive success, but will not be releasing on the Playstation 5 after Microsoft acquired Bethesda back in 2020.
With all that considered, the recent comments by Phil Spencer on what he wants for the upcoming Bethesda epic are intriguing. Spencer spoke to Stephen Totilo of Axios about a variety of topics, namely player count numbers for Xbox games, including Starfield, saying “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 to me: “I love the Forza 5 and Halo stats…I love how many people played Psychonauts 2 vs. Psychonauts 1.
— Stephen Totilo (@stephentotilo) February 8, 2022
"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?'"
Considering the game will be skipping a major competitors platform, it is fair to ask exactly how Spencer expects this game to reach more players than previous games by Todd Howard and company. While on the surface this may be confusing, if you have paid attention to Xbox’s strategy, the premise is not too complicated.
Xbox wants to tear down barriers of entry in numerous ways. With Game Pass, they are removing the price barrier which hinders millions of players from being able to play the game at a high price. Another barrier is affordable consoles, with the Xbox Series S being a relatively affordable $299, as well as the Xbox All Access plan that let’s anyone own a console at a low monthly cost. Finally, expansion beyond the console, PC and especially Cloud, gives nearly anyone access to Starfield from almost any device.
With these new avenues of access opened, Xbox plans to have all of their games, including Starfield, available to more players than ever before.
