Microsoft has made it pretty clear that Bethesda’s next RPG, Starfield, will launch exclusively for Xbox consoles and Windows PCs. That hasn’t stopped PlayStation fans from hoping that the game might just be a timed exclusive, however—one that will eventually make its way to Sony’s console and, perhaps, other platforms.
Aaron Greenberg, General Manager of Xbox Games Marketing at Microsoft, cut that hope short today by clarifying over Twitter that Starfield isn’t a timed exclusive of any kind.
“We have tried to be as clear as possible, not a timed exclusive, this is simply where the game is being made,” Greenberg tweeted in response to a user who was clinging to the hope that Microsoft would end up releasing Starfield for other platforms down the line.
The implication seems pretty straightforward: Starfield will only be playable on Xbox Series X|S consoles, Windows PCs, and devices that support Xbox Cloud Gaming, even years after it launches.
Bethesda’s public relations guy Pete Hines has supported Greenberg’s comments, telling Starfield hopefuls on PlayStation that they’re grasping at straws. Hines had initially played coy when Starfield was announced as an Xbox exclusive. “I don’t know if I would go so far as to say you’re done ever playing stuff on PlayStation,” Hines said at the time.
As Greenberg points out, PlayStation gamers who are mad and want nothing to do with Xbox can still play Starfield on PC. “We’re not saying you have to buy an Xbox to play those games,” Greenberg said.
Xbox fans consider the controversy of Starfield being exclusive to Xbox consoles and Windows PCs quite interesting because nobody seems to have a problem when Sony does it. The controversy is akin to Xbox fans complaining about how God of War or Uncharted 4 isn’t on Xbox, it’s argued. The simple fact is that Bethesda is now a first-party Xbox studio.
We have tried to be as clear as possible, not a timed exclusive, this is simply where the game is being made. 💚
— Aaron “Day One On Game Pass” Greenberg 🙅🏼♂️💚U (@aarongreenberg) August 30, 2021
No, that isn't what I was suggesting. pic.twitter.com/fkoXql9FkI
— Pete Hines (@DCDeacon) August 30, 2021
Starfield is the first new universe in 25 years from Bethesda Game Studios, the award-winning creators of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4. In this next generation role-playing game set amongst the stars, create any character you want and explore with unparalleled freedom. Harnessing the power of next-gen technology and built on the all-new Creation Engine 2, Starfield takes you on a journey through space as you strive to answer humanity’s greatest mystery.
Sources: Aaron Greenberg, Pete Hines