Starfield was almost a PlayStation exclusive, says Phil Spencer

Starfield is without a doubt one of the most highly anticipated Xbox exclusives in years. Yet, things could have been very different if Sony had gotten its way.

The release of Starfield is said to be decades in the making, according to Bethesda. The concept of a deep sci-fi RPG set in space was dreamt up by the developers at Bethesda many years ago, but the vision wasn't possible due to console limitations. However, in this modern era of gaming, that vision is finally coming to fruition.

Take a look at the latest trailer for Starfield below.

Prior to Microsoft’s $7.5 billion takeover of Bethesda's parent company ZeniMax Media, Sony had struck at least two deals that would ensure Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo would be PlayStation timed-exclusives. Just over a year after each title launched on PlayStation, they eventually came to Xbox.

It has also recently been reported that Sony tried to nab a third Bethesda exclusive, the aforementioned sci-fi RPG Starfield. This was something that Microsoft would stop at nothing to prevent happening, at any cost, quite literally. As reported by IGN, to prevent Sony from nabbing a third Bethesda exclusive in a row, Microsoft decided that it would acquire ZeniMax Media, foiling Sony’s plans to hog the likes of Starfield and beyond, once and for all. I guess, Sony prodded the bear once too often.

Xbox honcho Phil Spencer was representing Microsoft in court for its battle with the United States market regular, the FTC. Spencer revealed the lengths that Sony would go to in an attempt to prevent major games from being available on its competitor. Though to be fair, such practices have been around forever during the ‘console wars’ and neither are excluded from trying to get one over its rival.

Spencer also alluded to the fact that Sony had paid Square Enix to keep Final Fantasy XVI as a PlayStation 5 exclusive, and Starfield was next on the Japanese tech giant’s hit list. Xbox “needed to do a lot of work with a lot of partners given the competitive situation we had against the market leader,” said Spencer referring to Sony.

What’s more, following the exclusive Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo PlayStation deals, Spencer claimed acquiring ZeniMax Media was vital for Microsoft to “remain viable in the business” and as a consequence, Starfield would now be exclusive to the green brand.

In related news, Bethesda chief Todd Howard has revealed the number of romance options in Starfield, and has claimed that the sci-fi RPG will be a ‘modder’s paradise’. Starfield will be released on 6 September 2023 for PC and Xbox Series X|S.