Starfield Tipped To Be The Biggest Bethesda Game Ever
We're blasting off to a galaxy far, far away - and no, we don't mean that one. 2022 is already packed with AAA games, but up there with Horizon Forbidden West, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok, the Microsoft-exclusive Starfield is one to watch.
Coming from the acclaimed developer that brought us the likes of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout, there are high hopes that Starfield will be one to perform. Added to this, it's the first major release since Bethesda was enveloped by Microsoft - meaning a lot is riding on it. Thankfully, those are the top are sure we're onto a winner.
What Does Phil Spencer Think About Starfield?
Since the birth of the Xbox back in 2001, we've had some big hitters. The biggest in terms of sales is Kinect Adventures with 24 million, however, the biggest in terms of players was recently scooped up by Halo Infinite. The 2021 shooter scored a massive 20 million active players. According to Xbox boss Phil Spencer, Starfield could leave Infinite in the dust and also best its Bethesda brothers.
Speaking to Axios' Stephen Totilo, Spencer explained how Starfield has the potential to outperform even its biggest targets. His secret weapon is the ever-popular Game Pass. "You can see it with Forza and Halo, the last releases," said Spencer. "Those are the most played games in those franchises because we made them available on more screens than we ever have, through more business models than we've ever made them available."
Game Pass recently topped 25 million subscribers, so it's crazy to think potentially 4/5 of those have been playing Halo Infinite. Overtaking the legacy of Skyrim is Spencer's modus operandi is clearly to outdo Skyrim, which is a challenge even the boldest might quake at.
Can Starfield Really Be The Biggest Bethesda Game Ever?
Looking at the way the figures are going, it's definitely possible that Starfield could be the biggest Xbox game ever. Then again, we're relying more on the talents of Todd Howard and previous Bethesda favourites. Both Halo and Forza have decades of dedicated fans behind them, while Starfield is largely relying on the USP of being "Skyrim in space."
It's true that technology and the way we digest games has come on a long way since Skyrim released in 2011, while Howard himself has already said he wants Starfield to go for at least as long as Skyrim. Putting such pressure on a game that isn't even out yet is a dangerous tactic, but only time will tell whether Starfield is destined to chart a new corner of the video game galaxy or will be marooned in the cold abyss of titles that fell under their own weight.
