That’s according to Bethesda boss Pete Hines, who’s sorry that PlayStation fans are missing out but them’s the breaks.
Starfield has been in development now for about four years, but was confirmed at E3 to be a console exclusive on Xbox. Since Microsoft’s $7.5 billion acquisition of the studio’s parent company ZeniMax Media in March, this wasn’t exactly unexpected news for most of us, I think, but the decision is inevitably a controversial one for Bethesda’s PlayStation fans who probably purchased, like, three dozen copies of Skyrim and feel cheated.
Talking to The Telegraph this weekend, Hines explained that exclusivity deals like this aren’t necessarily a bad thing for developers, though.
“You don’t ever want to leave people out, right? But at the end of the day, your ability to focus and say, this is the game I want to make, these are the platforms I want to make it on, and being able to really lean [into] those is going to make for a better product.”
From a practical perspective like that, he’s obviously not wrong. Developing a game simultaneously for PC and multiple consoles involves entirely different code and hardware optimisations, exponentially increasing the work required to finish a project that plays more or less the same on every platform – and that’s before accounting for post-launch fixes and updates. Just ask CD Projekt Red.
In a subsequent video interview with Gamespot yesterday, however, Hines was more sympathetic.
“If you’re a big fan of the stuff we make and a game that we’re making is no longer available on your platform, I totally understand if you’re unhappy or pissed, or whatever. Like, I get it. Those are all real feelings and frustrations. How should you deal with that, I haven’t the foggiest idea. I would never presume to say, oh, here’s how you can make it better and feel better.
“I don’t know how to allay the concerns of PlayStation 5 fans other than to say, well, I’m a PlayStation 5 player as well, and I’ve played games on that console, and there’s games I’m gonna continue to play on it. All I can really say is, I apologise, because I’m certain that that’s frustrating to folks, but there’s not a whole lot I can do about it.”
Starfield launches on PC and Xbox consoles, including Xbox Game Pass, on 11 November 2022.