In a new update posted to the game's Twitter account, Xbox has revealed that Starfield has now surpassed 10 million players. The company did not go into details about the achievement, or what the actual breakdown was in terms of platform. Starfield is an Xbox console exclusive, but was also made available on PC. Xbox has been going by player account, as opposed to sales, likely because a lot of those players are coming from Xbox Game Pass subscriptions. Like all of Microsoft's first-party games, Starfield was a day one release, making it available to anyone that subscribed to a tier higher than Game Pass Core.

The Tweet announcing the achievement can be found embedded below.

Thank you to more than 10 million #Starfield explorers for creating the biggest launch in Bethesda history. pic.twitter.com/jklQotDC1N

— Starfield (@StarfieldGame) September 19, 2023

As Xbox notes, the number makes this the biggest launch yet for a Bethesda game. Starfield released on September 6th, and it will be interesting to see if the game can maintain these numbers over time. Maintaining that kind of interest will determine whether Starfield will come to be as highly-regarded as Bethesda classics like Skyrim. It might be a while before we know just that, but Xbox has to be pretty happy with these numbers so far.

Starfield: A System Seller?
Now that Starfield is out, it will be interesting to see if the game results in a meaningful increase in Xbox console sales. Over the last three years, the Xbox Series X|S has been struggling compared to Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5, but Microsoft clearly sees Starfield as a potential system seller. In the weeks leading up to the game's release, a number of moves were made to potentially increased the game's audience and profits. The company eliminated the $1 Xbox Game Pass trial (likely to prevent players from joining for cheap simply for Starfield). A new model of the Xbox Series S was also released just days before the game, offering a new color, and superior space compared to the original model. That extra space is particularly important, as Xbox exclusives like Starfield and Forza Motorsport both require a significant amount of room.

What is Starfield?
For those unfamiliar with the game, Starfield is Xbox's biggest exclusive of 2023. The game represents the first new IP from Bethesda Game Studios in more than 25 years. A single-player RPG, Starfield tasks players with exploring a vast open world with countless planets to explore. Some of these planets have a bit more to see than others, and players can either stick to the main narrative, or dedicate their time to exploration. In just a few weeks, Starfield players have already come up with a number of impressive ship designs, many of which are inspired by franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, and the movie Event Horizon.



Posted: Sep 23, 2023 2:35 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/starfield-10-million-players-xbox-series-x-s/