Highlights

  • Leaker NateTheHate walked back his claim that Starfield is coming to the PS5, describing it as a "lapse in judgment."
  • The insider clarified he cannot comment on the veracity of an earlier XboxEra report claiming the same thing.
  • While acknowledging he'll "own" this mistake, NateTheHate insisted that select Xbox console exclusives are still slated to go multi-platform in the near future.

A prominent leaker has walked back his recent claim that Starfield is coming to the PS5. While he wasn't the only insider to recently state that the space-faring RPG was greenlit for a multi-platform release, this turn of events still casts notable doubts on the recent rumors that Starfield is coming to PlayStation.

The possibility of Bethesda's latest title being ported to the PS5 was repeatedly cited as one of the most high-profile examples of Microsoft's supposed push toward more platform-agnostic game publishing. The news of the purported move first surfaced online in early February after multiple prominent insiders said that many Xbox games would go multi-platform in the near future.

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NateTheHate Calls His Starfield PS5 Port Confirmation a 'Lapse in Judgment'

Established leaker and podcaster NateTheHate added to those claims by asserting that Starfield is coming to the PS5 in a February 4 tweet. But the insider walked back on that statement less than a week later, describing it as a "lapse in judgment." Elaborating on that point, NateTheHate said he had decided to react to XboxEra's original report that Starfield was coming to PlayStation by confirming that he had heard the same from his sources. But after rechecking the information, he came to the conclusion that he was misled. "I'll own the mistake," the leaker wrote.

Select Xbox Console Exclusives Are Still Said To Be Going Multi-Platform

Several subsequent exchanges with some Twitter users saw NateTheHate clarify that he cannot speak as to the veracity of XboxEra's report. Following up on that train of thought, the leaker said his latest comments should not be interpreted as throwing XboxEra under the bus. "Their info may be better than mine," he explained. The leaker maintained that select Xbox games are still on course to go multi-platform, even though his latest research suggests Starfield is not among them. The list of those titles may be announced at next week's "business update" event that's meant to clear up the Xbox multi-platform drama.

Starfield Two Spacers

Some industry watchers have taken Microsoft's lack of urgency to dispel the early February rumors of Xbox games going multi-platform as an indicator that those claims could be rooted in reality. However, the extent of such a move—assuming it is indeed happening—remains unclear. Even taking NateTheHate's latest update at face value doesn't clarify whether Starfield was ever seriously considered for a PS5 release following the official cancelation of its PlayStation port in 2021. The decision to scrap the PS5 version of the game after Microsoft acquired Bethesda parent ZeniMax Media was such a big deal that it even prompted the Starfield developer to publicly apologize to PlayStation gamers.

As unclear as Starfield's future console prospects might be, what's more certain is that even a prospective multi-platform push wouldn't necessarily signal a major paradigm shift in terms of Microsoft's overall gaming strategy. To that end, Microsoft has reportedly already assured employees it will keep making Xbox consoles.