In a year filled to the brim with big video game releases, Starfield stands near the top of most anticipated titles. Even with Baldur’s Gate 3 dominating the recent conversation and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom leaving a massive impact on people, there are hardcore Bethesda fans who are eagerly anticipating this game. Just like everyone else, Phil Spencer has big expectations for Starfield.
In an interview with IGN at Gamescom, Phil Spencer gave his thoughts on how big of an impact Starfield could have on the Xbox brand and quite a bit more. When asked the last time Xbox had a moment as big as Starfield, Phil said the following:
You think about big, new IP that has launched on the platform, I might go back to just doing Gears 1, I don’t know, a game that is brand new, new IP. It’s Todd’s first game in the [Bethesda Game Studios] team as part of Xbox launching on the platform. It’s a big moment and I’m proud that we were able to give him time and really, really happy with the results.
Phil Spencer, via IGN
Considering that the first Gears of War released in 2006, that is 17 years of ground that Starfield is propping up. In all honesty, we think it has the potential to be much bigger than that.
When people think about the Xbox brand, one of the first criticisms is always aimed at the first-party lineup. There is no real argument against it when you compare Microsoft’s offerings to PlayStation or Nintendo. While those competitors have Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, God of War, Horizon, and many more, the only thing Xbox fans regularly have to get excited about is Forza Horizon. Even with Halo and Gears being staples for the company, those franchises have hit a lull recently.
What are the biggest Xbox exclusives you can think of since 2016 that don’t have the Halo, Gears, or Forza name on them? Sea of Thieves, maybe? As much as we love State of Decay, that isn’t necessarily a gigantic release on par with this. Xbox no doubt has an exciting future with Fable and Perfect Dark returning, but Starfield is looking to be a juggernaut of a release.
Expectations are high for everyone around when it comes to Starfield. One can only hope that Starfield lives up to the lofty expectations placed on it.
