The Xbox and Bethesda Game Studios E3 showcase started off with the official reveal of Starfield, Bethesda's next big RPG adventure. Bethesda has a high degree of success with AAA role-playing games, most notably developing Fallout and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Starfield seems to be the studio's next foray into the RPG genre, and the new game will be tied exclusively to Xbox consoles.
Starfield was originally teased way back in 2018 during Bethesda's E3 conference. The space setting of Starfield will be the first new universe that Bethesda has created in the past 25 years. The new game has been fully developed using the power of next-gen technology, with Bethesda using their Creation Engine 2 to bring the game to life.
In a Washington Post interview, Bethesda Game Studios Executive Producer Todd Howard described Starfield as "Skyrim in space." Howard went on to explain that players will become a member of the Constellation organization, which are considered to be the last group of space explorers. Starfield allows players to choose the background of their character in a manner reminiscent of Skyrim, and make customizable choices that will affect how certain events in the game play out.
Why Starfield Is An Xbox Exclusive
During the E3 reveal, Xbox's Sarah Bond announced that Starfield will be an exclusive title for next-gen Xbox consoles and PC when it releases on November 11, 2022. Starfield will also be available on Xbox Game Pass day of release, which continues the trend of Microsoft's exclusive releases being available on the game streaming service when they release. Both the Starfield trailer and Sarah Bond made no mention of an eventual PlayStation release, leading to speculation about whether the game will be a timed exclusive or solely an Xbox experience.
Starfield's exclusive status can most likely be attributed to the Microsoft acquisition of Bethesda back in March of 2021, which increased the number of Microsoft's first-party game studios to 23. The deal saw Microsoft pay $7.5 billion to buy ZeniMax Media, which is the parent company of Bethesda Softworks. Included in the deal were Bethesda sub-studios like The Evil Within studio Tango Gameworks, id Software of Doom acclaim, and Dishonored developer Arkane.
After the finalization of the Microsoft and Bethesda deal, Head of Xbox Phil Spencer made it clear during a roundtable between Xbox and Bethesda that "Xbox consoles, PC, and Game Pass will be the best place to experience new Bethesda games, including some new titles in the future that will be exclusive to Xbox and PC players." It seems that Starfield will be one of the first Bethesda games to get an exclusive launch to Xbox platforms, allowing the studio to focus solely on creating a distinct experience for Xbox gamers to enjoy. Only time will tell what future Bethesda titles will be exclusive to the Xbox family, with The Elder Scrolls 6 and the new Indiana Jones title being strong possibilities.
Sources: Washington Post, Xbox