Real Reason Phil Spencer Wanted Todd Howard’s Starfield Was to End the Console Wars, Not Win it

Bethesda’s space RPG, Starfield, was the company’s first new IP in 25 years and had a lot behind it to be something special. However, the title failed to hit the mark as it couldn’t match the high standards set by the studio’s previous work.

Even though Bethesda constantly updated the game and even gave us Shattered Space DLC, it couldn’t be steered away from its core issues. Many believed that the game’s objective of winning the console war for Xbox was a massive failure, but according to Phil Spencer, it was never meant for that purpose.

Starfield‘s Goal Was to Put an End to Console Wars

Even though Starfield didn’t deliver on expectations, its initial phase of release was quite a success. It became the most-played Xbox title, with 6 million gamers during the early access. It has also become the most pre-installed game since Game Pass’s release in 2017.

The PlayStation fans have always been frustrated with the game’s exclusivity for Xbox consoles. However, in an interview with The Washington Post, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer opened up about the exclusivity of certain Xbox titles, such as Starfield, and stated that he’s looking to change that.

I spent a lot of time thinking about how the game industry is going to grow, and my view is that it grows if there’s less friction of a player anywhere wanting to find their game, and closed platforms create real barriers to that

Microsoft’s initiative to break console exclusivity started earlier this year with four games. Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush, Grounded, and Pentiment all have PlayStation ports. Even Xbox’s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 dropped on PS4 and PS5 as well.

Rumors suggest that Microsoft is planning to get more aggressive with ports, with even Starfield jumping ship to PS5 soon. Time will tell if there’s any truth to such rumors, but it’s great to see that Spencer recognizes the need to break the barriers and unite all gamers to experience the best titles out there.

Starfield Might See a Sequel Down the Road

It seems like Bethesda wants to learn from the mistakes of the first Starfield and present us with a sequel that wins our hearts. In an interview with Video Gamer, former Bethesda developer Bruce Nesmith opened up about Starfield and stated that it’s destined to serve as an excellent path for a future RPG.

Nesmith believes that the first couple of entries in any series tend to be rough around the edges while still showing hope, thus serving as a crucial tool for any franchise to kickstart. That’s what he believes will happen with Starfield.

Although he’s convinced that Starfield will eventually get a sequel, the chance of that happening anytime soon is quite low. Currently, The Elder Scrolls 6 is Bethesda and Todd Howard’s top priority. Once that project sees the light of the day, Bethesda will start working on Fallout 5.

If the AAA game development period doesn’t get any longer in that time, Fallout 5 could hit the shelves around 2034. The Starfield sequel might drop in the late 2030s at the earliest.

With that said, where would you like to see Bethesda head down with Starfield IP? Let us know in the comments below.