Starfieldis the first new IP from Bethesda Softworks in roughly 25 years, meaning this title perhaps already has more pressure thanThe Elder ScrollsorFallout,because new IPs are always a risk, even for the biggest developers. During a recent interview, Todd Howard discussed how the Microsoft acquisition has benefitedStarfield’s development, as Bethesda has worked with some of the top engineers at Xbox on the title, but also the added pressure of trying to sell consoles.
Indeed, while hardware specs are an obvious benefit of any console, it often comes down to exclusives when choosing between a PS5 and Xbox Series X. Throughout the PS4 gen and even so far this gen, Sony has dominated the exclusive market with games likeMarvel’s Spider-Man, God of War Ragnarok, and so on, while Microsoft has largely played catch up by announcing acquisitions. Microsoft is hopefully entering the stage where its in-development exclusives start coming out, and that applies toStarfieldtoo, adding newfound pressure to Bethesda.
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As noted by Howard during a recent Lex Fridman podcast, Bethesda has always had some exclusivity deals with Xbox as far back asMorrowind, but it has never been responsible, even partially, for the success of the platform.The Elder ScrollsandFalloutare beloved franchisesthat had major success regardless of platform, but now that it’s Microsoft-owned, helping sell consoles is a newfound responsibility. Transcribed by VGC, Howard states, “We’ve had a lot of success with the games that you talked about but we’ve never been kind of the platform seller, you know ‘the game’ for a platform for a period of time, and so, there is a lot of pressure, there’s a lot of responsibility there to make sure we deliver for everybody.”
Being a major acquisition for a gaming powerhouse like Microsoft comes with said pressure, which is to be expected, but it’s also “awesome” from Howard’s perspective. Working closer than ever with Xbox allows Bethesda to focus onStarfield’s development, while having extra help and resources from the company. With this added help, Bethesda intends to makeStarfieldlook “incredible” on the Xbox Series X/S.
It’s also partially the reason forStarfield’s delay. Howard and just about everyone at Microsoft and Bethesda has called it the right move, even if it’s regrettable. It leaves a big hole in Microsoft’s console-exclusive games for 2022, but Xbox and Bethesda want to deliver something remarkable. It shows an emphasis on quality over petty console wars.
Starfieldreleases sometime in 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X.
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