Highlights
- Starfield's release has the potential to usher in a new golden age for Xbox Game Pass, with more first-party titles and a higher quality of releases.
- Despite mixed critical reception, Starfield has already attracted a significant number of subscribers to Xbox Game Pass, and this number is expected to increase further upon the game's official launch.
- Xbox sees Starfield as a catalyst for a series of upcoming exclusives, signaling the beginning of a multi-year relay race of first-party titles that will further enhance the Xbox Game Pass library.
For the last seven years, Xbox Game Pass has been a near-constant source of great video games, with at least one critically acclaimed title usually being added to the service each month. But while long-time Xbox Game Pass subscribers can still probably pinpoint their favorite or most memorable period for Game Pass, it'll likely only revolve around one big release. Though Xbox Game Pass has had some busy runs of releases in its time, these releases are only usually a month or two at a time. For every month of non-stop bangers, Xbox Game Pass usually has a few months of disappointments. But Starfield could be about to change that.
Xbox Game Pass has never really had a golden age, a good streak of multiple months filled with great releases. But Bethesda's highly-anticipated Sci-Fi RPG Starfield is finally out in early access, and though its critical reception has been a tad shaky, many fans are loving the game. By all accounts, Starfield will achieve what Xbox wanted it to, and either get people to buy a copy, or get them to sign up for Xbox Game Pass. But this could just be the start of a new golden age for Xbox Game Pass, where prestige first-party titles are a much more common occurrence.
Starfield Could Usher in a Golden Age for Xbox Game Pass
The critical reception to Starfield has been a perplexing, mixed bag of scores and opinions. On one hand, some outlets are praising Starfield to the high heavens, claiming it's one of the best Western RPGs of all time and the greatest Bethesda game since Oblivion. But on the other hand, some reviewers are condemning Starfield for its many quality-of-life issues and its slow start, among other things. Regardless of critics, the vast majority of those who paid for early access seem to be really enjoying Starfield, and that instantly rockets it right up to the top of Xbox Game Pass' offerings.
Though there are no official numbers available yet, it seems incredibly likely that Starfield has already caused a pretty noticeable uptick in Xbox Game Pass subscribers, and that number will only increase in the coming week when Starfield officially launches. And again, though official numbers aren't known, it seems very likely that Starfield was also the reason many long-time subscribers stayed subbed to Xbox Game Pass this month. Starfield could be about to show the impact that a huge first-party exclusive can have on Xbox Game Pass' numbers, and it seems as though it's only going to be the start of a brand new golden age for the service.
About a week ago, Xbox's Chief Marketing Officer Jerret West gave an interview with GamesIndustry.biz where he stated that he views Starfield as a "doorway" for upcoming Xbox exclusives, claiming Bethesda's new RPG as the "starting gun" that's going to signal the beginning of a "multi-year relay race of first-party titles." West went on to explain his line of thinking a bit more, laying out the next year or so of Xbox, saying that Starfield has now opened the door for first-party games like Forza Motorsport later this year, and then Hellblade, Towerborne, and Avowed all slated for release next year.
For years now, many figures in the video game industry have discussed the concept of Xbox lining up the dominos, getting ready for an eventual seizing of the moment that's going to take the industry by storm and propel Xbox to new heights. It might finally be Xbox's time to seize that golden opportunity, with Starfield potentially being that first big domino. And with presumably all of these first-party games coming to Xbox Game Pass on day one, subscribers could be about to experience a golden age for the subscription service.
Starfield is now available for PC and Xbox Series X/S.