After nearly three years without a major exclusivity, Xbox must ensure Starfield a successful release, otherwise the Microsoft brand will struggle to attract new players, facing a Playstation in great shape.
God of War, Gran Turismo, The Last of Us, Horizon, Stray, Uncharted, Ratchet and Clank, Spiderman… So many Playstation exclusives that are hard to ignore when you are interested in the video game world. Sony has succeeded perfectly, over the past ten years, in forging a private catalog that is as unique as it is qualitative. By offering players who have purchased its latest Playstation 5 so many successful adventures and stories, the Japanese brand has ensured the loyalty of many of its players, succeeding in passing the difficult task of changing their status as simple consumers. to that of a fan. A success story that Microsoft is eyeing with envy, which is fighting hard to secure its market share in the lucrative sale of home consoles.
However, if we look at the last three years, crucial since they follow the release of the last generation of consoles (PS5 and Xbox Series), the situation seems quite grim for the green giant, which suffers from limited exclusive releases. even completely failed. Exit the legendary Halo series, also victim of an ill-advised move towards the open-world genre (Halo Infinite), exit Darktide which had to delay its release on Xbox Series by a year due to technical problems, and finally exit Redfall, exclusive to the promising Arkane studios, revealed as one of the most failed triple A’s of the last ten years.
But if Xbox has figured out that it couldn’t compete on the quality or quantity of its console exclusives, it can at least lean on a sizable weapon to secure at least a slice of the pie. in the sale of home consoles. This is obviously the Xbox Game Pass, this subscription offer to a catalog of games as rich as it is financially reasonable. And with the help of more or less modest studio takeovers, as well as agreements with some of the biggest publishers of the moment (Riot Games, Creative Assembly and Electronic Arts in particular), Microsoft has ensured it unparalleled wealth. Not to mention its very modest cost, not exceeding 13 euros per month, which makes it by far the most interesting subscription offer in the world of video games.
In addition, the Xbox Game Pass gives Xbox access to the very lucrative PC gaming market, where Sony is just and struggling to extend its exclusivities to mouse and keyboard players. According to the latest news, the offer would have attracted no less than 25 million players in January 2022. A figure that Microsoft is careful not to reveal to the general public but which represents more than twice the maximum number of World of Warcraft subscribers during its heyday, and over $350 million in theoretical monthly revenue.
And it is in this infernal mishmash that Starfield arrives. The latest creation from the revered Bethesda studios (bought for 8.1 billion by Microsoft in 2021) finally seems to bring the necessary breath to Xbox Series exclusives. It’s hard to imagine a failed single-player RPG when it comes from the creators of Fallout and Skyrim, especially since Starfield seems by far the studio’s most ambitious project to date. Note that above all, Starfield will be released day 1 in the Xbox Game Pass. A titanic addition to an already very interesting offer, which could finally give the Xbox Series the attraction that they have long lacked. But Xbox and Bethesda will first have to make sure that the birth of their foal goes off without a hitch, especially on a technical level, because the players will not forgive yet another Waterloo.
A must-watch release, scheduled for September 6, 2023 on PC and Xbox Series.