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As many as the stars. OK, we’ll, we’ve got a ways to go, but Bethesda’s new Starfield sci-fi game is a hit with six million players so far on the PC, Xbox and Xbox Game Pass.
The game debuted its standard edition yesterday on September 6, and it came out for early access users on September 1. With that many users, it’s clear that it’s already a hit for Bethesda, which is a big deal as it is Bethesda’s first brand new franchise in 25 years.
I’ve been playing it a little bit at a time and it’s growing on me. I’m visiting new planets and going on missions, and wondering how much time I should spend exploring and deviating from the narrative path, as it is a huge universe. I think a lot of other players are in the same boat, and we’ll keep doing this as long as we feel we’re exploring brave new worlds rather than doing chores in a role-playing game.
This is also good news for Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass, as Starfield may very well drive new subscriptions for the service. Now the question will be how long will this continue, as good reviews from early players will be key to getting late adopters to give the game a try.
Does this mean Microsoft has generated revenues of six million times $70 each, or $420 million, not counting funds from premium sales? Nope, as many players (we don’t know how many) are accessing it from Xbox Game Pass subscriptions that they’ve already paid for. It is a success, but it’s hard to figure that out exactly in monetary terms.
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