Starfield is the hugely anticipated upcoming science fiction RPG from Elder Scrolls and Fallout developer Bethesda Softworks, but is Starfield coming to PS5 and other consoles?
Starfield is the first major single-player release from Bethesda Softworks since Fallout 4, and follows on the heels of Fallout 76’s disastrous track record as an MMO. Nonetheless, fans the world over are clamouring to get their hands on this brand-new open galaxy world.
With the September release date looming, will fans on PlayStation 5 and other consoles be able to play Starfield?
The short and bitter answer for PlayStation fans is that no, Starfield will not be coming to PS5 and there are no current plans to support a PS5 port. Starfield will be available for Window and Xbox Series X/S exclusively. This may be disappointing, or frustrating, for fans who were hoping to play Starfield on the PlayStation.
The fans aren’t the only ones somewhat perplexed by the decision by Microsoft to make Starfield a PlayStation exclusive. Recently, court proceedings surrounding Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard have unearthed emails that show Bethesda employees and leadership perplexed by Microsoft allowing Call of Duty to continue to be published on PlayStation as well as Xbox, while still forcing Starfield to be an Xbox/PC exclusive.
Starfield Official Gameplay Trailer
In 2020, Microsoft announced a $7.5 million USD deal to acquire ZeniMax Media, the parent company of Bethesda. The same court proceedings around Microsoft’s pending acquisition of Activision Blizzard have revealed exactly why that happened. It also shed light on why Starfield isn’t coming to PS5. Phil Spencer, CEO of Microsoft Gaming, testified that Microsoft heard that Starfield might be getting paid by Sony to be a PS5 exclusive.
Sony had previously paid Bethesda for games like Deathloop to be PlayStation-only. Spencer has said that Microsoft’s purchase of Bethesda was partially motivated by worry that Sony would continue to pay developers to skip over Microsoft’s console.
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