Zinger Key Points
- Starfield reaches one million concurrent players.
- Xbox exclusivity boosts focus for a stable console launch, says game Director Todd Howard.
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Microsoft Corp.'s MSFT Starfield achieved more than one million concurrent players across all platforms, as confirmed by Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer.
"Thanks to all the players who helped us reach this great milestone and congrats to the
@BethesdaStudios," Spencer wrote on X.
See Also: 'Starfield Saved Me And My Family's Life': Gaming's Unexpected Role In A Fire Rescue
Starfield exceeded 1 million concurrent players across all platforms today. Thanks to all the players who helped us reach this great milestone and congrats to the @BethesdaStudios https://t.co/5jFaCyPz4G
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) September 7, 2023
Bethesda's expansive space adventure, which dominated sales charts prior to its official release on Sept. 6, continues to experience a successful launch.
It's worth noting that the game is available for Xbox and gaming PC users, with no PlayStation release planned.
Todd Howard, the game's director, believed this exclusivity actually improved the game's quality, as it allowed for focused development.
"You know this is the hardware or the thing people are playing on, so the ability to focus on that always yields a better product," Howard said in an interview with the BBC. "You do want people to be able to access it of course. But being with Xbox means there is an ease of access for us and I'm told we're expecting more people playing this launch than anything we've ever done before and that's despite the success of our previous games."
He added: "I do also think people attach brands to certain games. When you think of Zelda you think of the Switch and I think there are times when that can be a real benefit."
Initial technical reviews of Starfield on Xbox indicate that the strategy has paid off, making it the most stable console launch in the studio's history.
Read Next: What Critics Are Saying About Starfield: Bethesda Game Studio's Space Adventure Under The Microscope
Photo: Courtesy Bethesda via Steam.
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