Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer expressed his high hopes for the Xbox exclusive title Starfield in an interview with Axios reporter Stephen Totilo posted in a Twitter thread. Spencer said he hopes Starfield will be the “most played Todd Howard game ever.”
This is certainly a high bar set for Starfield since Howard has directed and designed some of the most notable and recognizable titles in video game history during his time with Bethesda. Among just a few of his projects are The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim and Fallout 3, additions to two of the most popular ongoing franchises that span multiple platforms.
Spencer isn’t deterred by the fact that Starfield will be an Xbox exclusive. He’s still confident that the upcoming game will reach more players than ever. “Quality of the title is number one, no doubt about that but that will be success for me for the individual games: Can we really make these games – can we allow them to reach more players than they’ve ever seen before?” Spencer said.
Starfield will be accessible for all Xbox users since the title will be available day one on the Xbox Game Pass for console and PC. In this sense, the new Bethesda game will likely reach masses of gamers. But the new title will also pass over a significant number of PlayStation users.
Confident in expansion of player bases across all titles in light of Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Spencer also said “I want more people to be playing WoW in five years that are playing today. I want more people to be playing Call of Duty in five years, more people to be playing Candy Crush in five years, because we’ve made it more accessible to more people.”
Starfield is slated to be released on Nov. 11, 2022.