Microsoft announced that it had successfully completed its acquisition of Bethesda Game Studios’ parent company, ZeniMax Media, for $7.5 billion in March 2021. One of the consequences of that decision is that Starfield and other future Bethesda blockbusters will be exclusive to Xbox, which is terrible news for PlayStation fans, but director and executive producer Todd Howard has pointed out that the exclusivity will actually allow him and his team to develop a “better product.” This is largely thanks to Bethesda only having to worry about a single set of similar platforms, which lets the developer better narrow its focus. Starfield will be released on Xbox Series X|S and PC on November 11, 2022.
“‘Pick a side’ meaning… PlayStation? Is that what you mean? Well.. a little bit. You don’t ever want to leave people out, right? But at the end of the day, your ability to focus and say, this is the game I want to make, these are the platforms I want to make it on, and being able to really lean in on those is going to make for a better product.”