STARFIELD

Perhaps the two most important words of Microsoft’s showcase came just a few minutes in, at the end of a teaser for Bethesda’s next open-world epic: ‘Xbox exclusive’. It wasn’t the only time we would see them, but this was the moment it became crystal clear that Microsoft would never have spent $7.5bn on the studio behind Skyrim and Fallout if it didn’t plan to keep at least some of its output to itself.

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Developer Bethesda Game Studios Publisher Xbox Game Studios Format PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series Release November 11, 2022

Granted, it may be denying itself millions of pounds’ worth of business from PlayStation owners. But a chunk of Sony’s audience may now be wondering if they made the right call – and considering a Game Pass subscription. Despite what some commentators would have you believe, from a platform holder’s point of view it’s surely the smart call.

If at this stage what the game represents is more significant than what it