Starfield is one of the most talked-about upcoming releases within the gaming industry, commanding a serious following that speaks volumes about the potential reception for the game. Coming from Bethesda, the title has a long line of popular genre-defining titles to compete with, and so it is obvious as to why fan expectations are already as high as they are.
One of the most interesting aspects of Starfield's impending release concerns its presence as a day one release via the Xbox Game Pass subscription service. The game will arguably be the most high-profile release to ever come as a day one title through the service, and will subsequently be the perfect proving ground for the next logical stage of experiences that Xbox Game Pass can provide.
The Scale and Following Behind Starfield
Being a Bethesda title, Starfield is aiming to maintain the same popular RPG formula that the studio has used in its other most popular IPs, such as Fallout and The Elder Scrolls. As the first wholly new IP to come from Bethesda in decades, Starfield is aiming to break the mold of the studio's expected gameplay by giving players an unprecedented amount of freedom in the way of exploration and narrative control.
With Starfield boasting over 1000 planets to explore across a spate of galaxies, fans are already marveling over the potential replayability and massive scale of the title, which is currently aiming to release on September 6, 2023. Of course, this scale also fosters an environment for a huge amount of potential quests and factions, which only further boosts the potential longevity of Starfield. Fans are already debating the possibility of things such as an eventual multiplayer mode in the release's future, with Starfield clearly being a game that can foster a huge range of gameplay experiences.
The Utility of Starfield on Xbox Game Pass
It is no secret that the Xbox Game Pass service is successful, with the subscription offering players access to an ever-growing plethora of titles for a monthly fee. It is estimated that Xbox Game Pass has over 30 million monthly subscribers, typifying the popularity of the service and the amount of sway it holds in popularizing games that come under its reach.
The scope of what titles can be expected to fall under the Game Pass name has only grown in recent years thanks to Microsoft's spate of studio acquisitions, with the purchases of studios such as Mojang and Bethesda meaning that some extremely high-profile releases are day one Xbox Game Pass titles. Of course, Microsoft is currently attempting to acquire Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion, which may only further increase the industry power of Xbox Game Pass going forward.
Starfield is set to be a day one Xbox Game Pass release, and will likely be the most popular day one game that the service has ever experienced. This will give Game Pass and Starfield a huge boost in members and early player base respectively, and the service should begin offering a more complete experience to compliment these huge releases going forward. Game Pass should be used as kind of community hub for these massive releases, in which players could host things like marketplaces for items or community-made mods that will work well with an expansive release such as Starfield.
It would seem remiss if Microsoft does not captialize upon the community potential of a service such as Game Pass, especially with its growing roster of studios. In this way, Starfield could be the perfect launching point to transform the Game Pass experience into a more dynamic and community-centric one.
Starfield launches on September 6 for PC and Xbox Series X|S.