Bethesda’s Head of Publishing Pete Hines has provided a reason why the upcoming space-faring RPG Starfield being an Xbox exclusive is actually a good thing. Despite some gamers creating a petition to bring Starfield to PS5, that’s almost definitely not going to happen, and there are a couple of explanations for that decision.
The foremost reason is obviously the fact that the game’s developer Bethesda was acquired by Microsoft, a deal that was finalized in March 2021. Prior to the acquisition, the highly anticipated new IP was expected to release on both Sony and Microsoft consoles, and it was even rumored that Sony wanted Starfield as a timed PS5 exclusive. But all that changed shortly after the deal was closed, when a leaked E3 2021 trailer revealed that the game would be coming only to Xbox Series X/S and PC.
Microsoft has now been attempting to finalize the acquisition of Activision Blizzard and has been met with a number of obstacles. The Xbox company is currently in court with the FTC, which is asking for a preliminary injunction to temporarily block the deal. In the ongoing hearing, several top executives have been called to the stand, among them Bethesda’s Head of Publishing Pete Hines, who said that he personally supports Starfield being an Xbox console exclusive.
“There’s no question in my mind that being able to focus on fewer platforms to support, hardware to support, has been a big benefit to the team.” In other words, not worrying about the idiosyncrasies of two console ecosystems has allowed the developers to work more efficiently. And quality assurance can get in more rounds of testing when there is only one platform to deal with, Hines explained, citing an example of putting 100 testers on an Xbox build versus splitting the workforce in two.
If Starfield were being simultaneously developed for both PS5 and Xbox and testers’ focus was divided, said Hines, “you’re finding fewer problems, you’re not going as fast. It’s going to take longer, it’s going to cost more.” In fact, previously, Head of Microsoft Studios Matt Booty claimed that Starfield will have the fewest bugs of any Bethesda game, and part of that may be due to Xbox exclusivity. Despite this, Hines did also say in his testimony that it “bothered” him that PlayStation fans were upset by the announcement.
Conversely, the FTC is arguing that Starfield’s exclusivity refutes Microsoft’s claims that it will keep Call of Duty on PlayStation consoles if the Activision Blizzard deal goes through. Prior to the purchase of ZeniMax, there had been vague assurances that Bethesda titles would remain on all platforms, only for Starfield and Redfall's Xbox exclusivity to be revealed soon after the ink was dry on the deal. Likewise, during the FTC injunction hearing on June 22, it also came to light that the upcoming Indiana Jones game was going to have a multiplatform release until Microsoft acquired Bethesda.
Starfield releases September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Polygon