Bethesda's new sci-fi IP Starfield has been shrouded in mystery ever since it was first revealed at E3 2018. While the game has garnished quite the attention as it is, the conversation and excitement surrounding it reached unprecedented heights after Microsoft acquired Bethesda's parent company for a whopping $7.5 billion.
Ever since Xbox and Bethesda joined forces, Starfield has been a major topic of conversation, both for fans and developers. Xbox head Phil Spencer had mentioned Starfield plenty of times in various interviews, leading many to speculate that Starfield could be an Xbox exclusive. Moreover, there were plenty of rumors that seem to suggest the same. Another report suggested that Sony wanted Starfield as a PS5 timed exclusive, hinting that Bethesda was open to exclusivity deals for the game.
Fortunately, all the mystery surrounding Starfield's exclusivity has finally been cleared. During Xbox and Bethesda's E3 2021 showcase, Starfield's director Todd Howard not just revealed a brand new teaser trailer for the game alongside its release date, but also the platforms it would be shipping to. As many suspected, Starfield is indeed an Xbox exclusive and will be shipping only on next-gen Xbox Series X/S consoles and PC.
Starfield being an Xbox exclusive isn't surprising and is a perfect fruition of the Xbox and Bethesda partnership. Xbox's lack of diversity in its AAA first-party lineup of games has always been a matter of debate, though things are quickly escalating for the better. With upcoming titles such as Fable, Avowed, and The Outer Worlds 2, Xbox is already being referred to as the house of western RPGs, and Starfield is the perfect way to kick off the next-gen RPG lineup on the Xbox ecosystem.
Starfield's exclusivity also shed light on the fate of future Bethesda titles, especially new IPs. Phil Spencer took the stage at the end of a 90 minutes long Xbox Bethesda E3 2021 showcase to reveal another massive new IP Redfall from the developers of Dishonored and Prey as a next-gen Xbox exclusive title. If this remains the case for other Bethesda titles as well, fans could expect new IPs from Machine Games, Zenimax Online, Tango Gameworks, and id Software to be exclusive to the Xbox ecosystem as well.
Exclusive games have played a significant role in every console generation and it seems to be playing an even bigger role this time around. It's no doubt that Starfield's exclusivity could boost the sales of Xbox Series X/S, just like the new God of War could boost the sales of the PS5. With so many Xbox exclusives titles already confirmed, 2022 and beyond seems quite promising for the Xbox ecosystem.
Starfield releases November 11, 2022, for PC and Xbox Series X/S.