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[Eddie-Griffin]

https://screenrant.com/starfield-xbox-exclusive-series-x-bethesda/

As a console exclusive for Xbox, Starfield could become a massive success for the X/S if it turns out to be the blockbuster epic it’s expected to be.
After first being revealed in 2018, Starfield is finally slated to release in 2023, and will hopefully be the exclusive hit Xbox has been waiting for in the new console generation. Developed and published by Bethesda, Starfield looks to be a roaring space opera that picks up in the aftermath of a solar system-spanning war. As an RPG with an astounding 1,000 explorable planets to visit, the game is expected to be a sprawling epic.

If all goes to plan and Starfield is able to deliver everything it promises, the game could become the revolutionary sci-fi RPG of the decade. It would rightfully earn its reputation as one of the most anticipated games of 2023, and as a console exclusive, would be the massive hit Microsoft has been needing, especially since the ninth generation has seen a noticeable lack of exclusive titles for the new Series X/S consoles.

The Hype Around Starfield Means It Really Could Be Epic

A study shared via Game Rant released in mid-January claims that Starfield was currently the second most-Googled game, only behind Hogwarts Legacy. The study also revealed that Starfield was being searched more than upcoming powerhouses like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Even Bethesda seems to be extremely excited about the game, announcing that Starfield wouldn't be part of their Xbox showcase back in January 2023, and instead would be getting its own standalone showcase to "dedicate the proper amount of time for a deep dive into Bethesda Game Studios' Starfield."

It's also reassuring that Starfield is being made by Bethesda, a well-respected legacy company known for creating epic franchises like The Elder Scrolls and the modern Fallout games. There aren't many teams out there that can deliver on everything Starfield is promising, but with Bethesda's history and experience, they're certainly one of them. Plus, Bethesda has made hit Xbox console exclusives in the past, with The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind and Oblivion - the latter a timed exclusive - both being critical and commercial hits.

Starfield's success could also be amplified by the fact that the Series X/S are selling incredibly well ahead of Xbox's biggest games coming in 2023, with VGChartz estimating the consoles have already sold over 20 million units, vastly outpacing what the Xbox One sold. On top of that, Game Pass Ultimate will make Starfield playable on last-gen consoles and PC, bolstering its potential player base and amplifying the game's chances of success. Starfield could become Xbox's biggest hit of 2023, potentially giving the console a level of success it hasn't seen since the 360 era.

I do agree despite 2022, the delay, and the long wait toward release (we haven't even got a date for the event yet) that the hype for Starfield is still pretty strong.

I do wonder though how much this is causing people to have delusions beyond reasonable expectations. If they do than it may be very hard for Starfield to meet them, resulting in a potentially 9 game being a 6 or 7 just because of how much hype feeding has gone around.

This also isn't the first time the game has been thrown around as a game to "save" Xbox Series, which doesn't need saving, it just needs games (more than one) to come out on time and more Series X production, which the title ironically shows that people mostly think of the X when thinking of Xbox Series, so calls Xbox Series "Xbox Series X" constantly.

Ironically, the thread title is going to be tough to do if Microsoft can't get more Series X's made. Of course, Starfield will sell with Series S users obviously, but Starfield needs to be launching at a time where there is enough supply of both SKU's to really benefit Xbox's console sales and bottom line.

But even so, there will be many games releasing this year to contribute to what may potentially be the best year for Xbox in the last decade if not incompetently executed.

I believe that throwing around Starfield as a "savior" takes away from several other fine games releasing this year, and does nothing more but inflate expectations even more that Starfield can't hope to meet. I think we should temper how big we think Starfield will be.

 

[ByWatterson]

I'm not really feeling the hype out there.

Am I crazy to think the fan response will be good but not great?

 

[Poltz]

A console needs more than one system seller though. The pressure on this game is immense and unfair IMO. We saw Halo Infinite buckle under the pressure.

 

[DeepEnigma]

You can’t even manually land or take off on planets. In 2023.

I’m still down for it and all the mods people will construct.

 

[Dontkidyourselfjimmy]

Doesn't need a thread.

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

I think by the start of 2025 it will be a great game

 

[vodka-bull]

It needs to be saved? Is it drowning?

 

[SneakersSO]

You can’t even manually land or take off on planets. In 2023.

I’m still down for it and all the mods people will construct.

I'm fortunate enough to have gotten to try a lot of it due to work.

I really do think folks have placed ungodly expectations on this - its nowhere near gonna be what folks think it is.

 

[GHG]

It needs to be saved? Is it drowning?

According to them they are drowning. The reality however:

 

[bentanchorbolt]

This will likely be my game of the generation. Big fan of Bethesda open world games, would have to be massively flawed to turn me off.

 

[RJMacready73]

Goddamn MS buying Bethesda.. could've gotten a PSVR2 upgrade of Skyrim and been looking forward to a VR version of this... It in all seriousness I'm not feeling the hype for this tbh

 

[The_Mike]

It needs to be saved? Is it drowning?

Everyone knows that the entire Microsoft coloration will fold if star field doesn't sell 20 billion consoles.

 

[VAVA Mk2]

Eh ScreenRant is a shit publication.

 

[Nydius]

“That saves the series x”, from what, exactly?

It’s not going to do anything to move them out of their third place status. If it comes out as a buggy, incomplete, underwhelming mess, it’ll end up in the same disappointment discussion as Halo Infinite.

I’d love to think it will be amazing at launch but this is Bethesda we’re talking about here. Not to mention an ambitious new IP. My hype expectations are very tempered.

 

[Varteras]

People need to be careful how much emphasis they put on a single game. Titanfall had a ridiculous amount of hype. Inflated mostly by fanboys and outlets, who had little time with the game as it was, getting clicks by stirring the pot. It was nowhere near what it was being elevated as. Thing is, that kind of hype can backfire and cause more damage if it's not that great than the good it will do if it is.

 

[Beechos]

If this game cant help ms move the needle no game can. Nothing short of a all time sony fuckup similar to nintendo choosing catridge over cdrom wil be the only chance they have or they can just buy everyone lol.

 

[bentanchorbolt]

People need to be careful how much emphasis they put on a single game. Titanfall had a ridiculous amount of hype. Inflated mostly by fanboys and outlets, who had little time with the game as it was, getting clicks by stirring the pot. It was nowhere near what it was being elevated as. Thing is, that kind of hype can backfire and cause more damage if it's not that great than the good it will do if it is.

Titanfall was lit tho. Gamers are just stupid and want to play the same shitty games they are comfortable with.

 

[killatopak]

New ip so the hype won’t be as big as say TESVI or FO5. It will have a huge mod community though just like all of Todd’s games. It will have crazy legs.

 

[Madflavor]

Nah it's not. It's gonna be this year's big laughable gaming disaster. I want it to be good, but the writing is on the wall. A Bethesda style Open World space exploration game sound amazing in concept. All they have to do is mix Skyrim with Mass Effect. However the aesthetics and setting they presented us with looks as dull as dishwater. White, Gray and Brown. What a wonderful color palette for your big sci fi rpg. You also could've had a mix of cool sentient alien races and galactic civilizations to discover and learn about. Instead we get robots and beasties. No fun alien characters to join your crew and become companions.

It's also a Bethesda game. The sheer scale of this game is guaranteeing it'll run like shit and be bugged to the fucking tits on release. Maybe in a few years it'll be great after many patches and mods.

 

[Esca]

I'll grab it life a year after release one the pc community fixes stuff and good mods are out

 

[j0hnnix]

What's that saying? "Same old song and dance."

We will see.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Starfield at launch will be huge on PC and a solid entry on Xbox too but nothing like PC numbers. Anyone stating different does not understand the lineage this game comes from.

If the game is massively bug ridden or just plain sucks those launch numbers would tank, and quick, similar to Halo Infinite.

If the game QA is solid, combined with an actually good or great game followed up with sustained dev/community support it is going to see massive success for a very long ass time, similar to previous hits from this dev.

 

[ZehDon]

I wasn't aware that Series X needs saving. TIL.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Everyone knows that the entire Microsoft coloration will fold if star field doesn't sell 20 billion consoles.

It’s almost as if MS isn’t putting their own PR out that they’re a lowly failing to gain marketshare not so successful gaming brand.

They must be concern trolling.

 

[Kadve]

So you mean they won't release it on PC in other words?

 

[Varteras]

Titanfall was lit tho. Gamers are just stupid and want to play the same shitty games they are comfortable with.

It was a really good game. But it wasn't a 99 Meta average. It wasn't Game of the Generation. It didn't change gaming as we knew it. That was the level of hype I watched people elevate it to. I'm not even exaggerating. These were actual talking points I witnessed across the net.

 

[analog_future]

I think it's a huge, massive, make-or-break game for the Xbox brand.

It's become much, much more important than even Halo Infinite was.

This is a big one. If Bethesda/Microsoft fucks this up, their reputation will be severely damaged and very difficult to turn around.

 

[H-I-M]

I still don't get how one NEW franchise on a console that has a very low market share, can turn things around.

 

[IFireflyl]

Everyone knows that the entire Microsoft coloration will fold if star field doesn't sell 20 billion consoles.

This hyperbole is absolutely ridiculous. It only needs to sell ~1 billion consoles.

 

[Topher]

 

[Mr Hyde]

Starfield will be for Series X what Metroid Prime was for GameCube.

 

[Danjin44]

 

[bentanchorbolt]

It was a really good game. But it wasn't a 99 Meta average. It wasn't Game of the Generation. It didn't change gaming as we knew it. That was the level of hype I watched people elevate it to. I'm not even exaggerating. These were actual talking points I witnessed across the net.

It was, however, the best online console FPS at the time and for quite some time after the fact. It failed because it was tied to the Xbox One. Had it been treated as a multiplat game I'm certain there would have been a larger following.

 

[Varteras]

It was, however, the best online console FPS at the time and for quite some time after the fact. It failed because it was tied to the Xbox One. Had it been treated as a multiplat game I'm certain there would have been a larger following.

With Battlefield 4 being a launch title? Yeah. Not sure about that.

 

[bentanchorbolt]

With Battlefield 4 being a launch title? Yeah. Not sure about that.

All we can do is argue, neither one of us can actually prove anything. We don't need to do this. It's okay if we think different things.

 

[Madflavor]

How did Xbox even find themselves in this position? It should've been clear to them years ago that they simply cannot rely on Halo, Gears and Forza, especially considering two of those franchises have had strings of mediocre releases for a decade. They should've been looking at their competition and invested heavily in the development of new first party titles to compete with Sony's. Now here we are. Their leadership is grossly incompetent.

 

[analog_future]

How did Xbox even find themselves in this position? It should've been clear to them years ago that they simply cannot rely on Halo, Gears and Forza, especially considering two of those franchises have had strings of mediocre releases for a decade. They should've been looking at their competition and invested heavily in the development of new first party titles to compete with Sony's. Now here we are. Their leadership is grossly incompetent.

They knew they couldn't simply rely on Halo, Gears, and Forza, which is why they acquired Bethesda and other development teams. To expand their 1st party portfolio.

 

[Varteras]

All we can do is argue, neither one of us can actually prove anything. We don't need to do this. It's okay if we think different things.

It's okay baby. I still love you.

 

[Nydius]

They knew they couldn't simply rely on Halo, Gears, and Forza, which is why they acquired Bethesda and other development teams. To expand their 1st party portfolio.

Buying their way to IPs already in development is not the same as promoting development from their existing studios and teams. While they’re absolutely hoping Redfall and a Starfield knocks it out of the park, every other MGS studio project — Perfect Dark, Fable, Everwild — is in development hell.

Microsoft has a twenty year history of mismanagement, of which I’ve opined here at length in the past. Had they invested in the properties they once owned over the years they wouldn’t be in the current situation where they’re trying to buy their way to relevance.

 

[Rockondevil]

I'm very much looking forward to Starfield because I love Bethesda RPG's but I don't think it's going to be any "saviour".

 

[analog_future]

Buying their way to IPs already in development is not the same as promoting development from their existing studios and teams. While they’re absolutely hoping Redfall and a Starfield knocks it out of the park, every other MGS studio project — Perfect Dark, Fable, Everwild — is in development hell.

Microsoft has a twenty year history of mismanagement, of which I’ve opined here at length in the past. Had they invested in the properties they once owned over the years they wouldn’t be in the current situation where they’re trying to buy their way to relevance.

Development hell? Your bias is showing. There's no way to know the status of any of those games because the development processes haven't been made public.

You use the term "buying their way to relevance" as if that's not what all capitalistic corporations do. You think Sony's acquisitions of Naughty Dog, Bend, Guerrilla, Media Molecule, Sucker Punch, Insomniac, Housemarque, Nixxes, Bluepoint, etc.. over the years have nothing to do with where they're at now? Not to mention exclusivity deals for individual games like several Final Fantasy games, Deathloop/Ghostwhire: Tokyo, Stray, etc.. etc..

Everyone's "buying their way to relevance", they just have different strategies in which they use their capital.

 

[Thirty7ven]

Well their numbers are wrong and they use vgchartz, along with a completely ridiculous set of expectations for the game. And doesn’t it being less hyped than Hogwarts Legacy actually destroys the whole point?

Don’t think it’s fair on Bethesda to carry this burden either, and expectations like this are setting it up for failure.

 

[Rac3r]

 

[LordOfChaos]

The higher the hype the higher your chances of being letdown

If it's good, great

 

[rodrigolfp]

Lunatics keep calling it exclusive and thinking Xbox under the infinite MS money needs saving....

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

Buying their way to IPs already in development is not the same as promoting development from their existing studios and teams.

There were no existing studios and teams before the buyouts, Phil spend late 2014-2017 closing downs studios, moving them off gaming, or canceling projects, Black Tusk game being canned, renamed to The Coalition to make Gears of War for example. They had like 5 real studios before they started making and buying new studios.

I feel like people miss this when they say "existing studios" almost every Studio Xbox now is relatively new in some form. Only Turn10, 343, and Rare are old, and two of those don't have an image problem.

 

[Eddie-Griffin]

“That saves the series x”, from what, exactly?

It’s not going to do anything to move them out of their third place status. If it comes out as a buggy, incomplete, underwhelming mess, it’ll end up in the same disappointment discussion as Halo Infinite.

I’d love to think it will be amazing at launch but this is Bethesda we’re talking about here. Not to mention an ambitious new IP. My hype expectations are very tempered.

2nd place.

People need to be careful how much emphasis they put on a single game. Titanfall had a ridiculous amount of hype. Inflated mostly by fanboys and outlets, who had little time with the game as it was, getting clicks by stirring the pot. It was nowhere near what it was being elevated as. Thing is, that kind of hype can backfire and cause more damage if it's not that great than the good it will do if it is.

Titanfall did at least sell well, just nowhere near the amount people thought it would because of the mass hype, even at Microsoft itself. They were so convinced about the game sales they still forced $500 Kinect bundles thinking it wouldn't matter because "did you see it".

 

[MikeM]

Save the Series X? I sold mine as soon as I heard it was going to be 30fps only and built a PC instead lol

 

[digoutyoursoul]

I’m not feeling the hype for it , not impressed from the footage shown . Admittedly I’m not much of a Bethesda fan from the games played over the years either.

For western rpgs I’d rather Microsoft had bought BioWare before EA.

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Well their numbers are wrong and they use vgchartz, along with a completely ridiculous set of expectations for the game. And doesn’t it being less hyped than Hogwarts Legacy actually destroys the whole point?

Don’t think it’s fair on Bethesda to carry this burden either, and expectations like this are setting it up for failure.

It will be one of the most nitpicked games in recent times.

Having said that I wouldn’t trust a lot of Xbox focused reviews either , I get the impression they already have an idea what’s going to be said anyway. Same as Halo Infinite was.