Microsoft Corporation is planning to release its role-playing game Starfield for the PlayStation 5 gaming console, which Bethesda Game Studios initially released for Xbox and PC. This information comes from sources cited by the Xbox Era industry publication. Microsoft, Bethesda, and Sony have not commented on this.
According to the publication’s sources, Microsoft intends to release Starfield on PlayStation 5 after the “Shattered Space” expansion is released for Xbox and PC (expected to be presented at the end of 2024). Sources also claim that Microsoft has allocated additional funding for developer toolkits for PlayStation 5 to enhance the game’s development for this console.
Xbox Era notes that the release of the game on competing console platforms signifies significant changes in Microsoft’s strategy. The publication points out that the release of Starfield on other platforms contradicts the initial statements about exclusivity – in 2021, Xbox President Sarah Bond mentioned exclusivity. In turn, Todd Howard, the Executive Director of Bethesda Game Studios, stated that developing the game exclusively for Xbox allowed developers to “focus” to deliver the “best product.” Microsoft also mentioned that Sony had previously advocated for Starfield to be released exclusively for PlayStation even before the Bethesda-Microsoft merger.
The space-themed role-playing game Starfield was released in August 2023 and became Bethesda’s biggest launch of all time. A week after its release, the company reported that over six million users played Starfield. Industry media noted that Starfield became the most popular game released by Bethesda for Xbox. Furthermore, shortly after its release, the game claimed the top spot in Steam sales.
As Xbox Era highlights, there was previously unconfirmed information that Microsoft plans to release several first-person games for PlayStation 5, such as Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves. Additionally, sources from The Verge claim that Bethesda is considering the possibility of releasing the game “Indiana Jones and the Great Circle” for PS5, which was announced for Xbox and PC in January.