That question has become harder to answer thanks to the latest twist in Microsoft's plans for Xbox-exclusive games.
Love gaming? Listen to our podcast, One More Life!
Everyone knows that Microsoft bought Bethesda for a staggering $7.5 billion in 2021, but confusion remains over whether the Skyrim studio’s games will appear on consoles outside of Xbox or not.
More like this
The latest rumours are suggesting that Xbox-exclusive games could be heading to PS5, though.
Will there ever be a Starfield PS5 release? Here's the latest on whether Starfield will come to PlayStation or not.
Will Starfield ever come to PS5?
Starfield might launch on PS5. Despite it releasing as an Xbox console exclusive, recent rumours and leaks are saying that Starfield is heading to PS5 sometime in 2024.
A report by XboxEra suggests that Starfield will be released on PS5 following the launch of its first major DLC on Xbox and PC later in 2024.
The XboxEra sources have said that Microsoft is "planning a launch for Starfield on PlayStation 5 post the release of the already announced Shattered Space expansion for Xbox and PC."
This is potentially a very big deal, with other Bethesda IP including Hi-Fi Rush and the upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle also said to be heading to PS5.
Head of Xbox Phil Spencer has taken to X (formerly Twitter) to reveal the Microsoft has "been planning a business update event for next week, where we look forward to sharing more details with you about our vision for the future of Xbox".
Time will tell if Starfield is actually going to release on PS5, and what Xbox has up its sleeves for the future of its game publishing arm. We'll update this page with new information once it becomes available.
Why is Starfield an Xbox exclusive?
Starfield launched as an Xbox exclusive because Microsoft bought its developer, Bethesda Softworks, when it acquired its parent company ZeniMax Media for $7.5 billion back in 2021. The studio is now part of Xbox Game Studios.
There was some initial confusion over what games would remain multi-platform - including Starfield, which was already confirmed to be in development at that point.
During the court hearings over Microsoft’s attempted acquisition of Activision Blizzard, the head of the Xbox brand, Phil Spencer, implied that Bethesda was bought to keep Starfield off of PlayStation.
Spencer explained (thanks, Kotaku reporter Ethan Gach): "When [Microsoft] acquired Zenimax, one of the impetuses for that was that Sony had done a deal for Death Loop and Ghostwire and [would] pay effectively Bethesda to not ship those games on Xbox, so the discussion about Starfield, when we heard that Starfield is potentially also gonna end up skipping Xbox, [was that] we can’t be in a position as a third place console."
Based on this, it appears as though Microsoft essentially bought Bethesda to stop Starfield from becoming a PS5 exclusive.
In the FTC document (page 122), Microsoft Gaming CFO Tim Stuart adds that Starfield had more than "10 million units forecasted… on PlayStation, Microsoft believed it could offset losses incurred from taking ZeniMax games exclusive through upside to Game Pass and increased console sales".
So, it's safe to assume that’s why Starfield launched as an Xbox Series X/S console exclusive: to drive console and Game Pass sales.
Now, though, we could be getting Starfield on PS5. What a strange and U-turny world we live in. We'll update this page with any new information that might come to light.
Read more on Starfield:
Listen to our One More Life podcast and subscribe to our gaming newsletter for all the latest intel.
Looking for something to watch? Check out our TV Guide or Streaming Guide.
Advertisement
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7s63DoqatoZ2awG%2BvzqZmrZ2TnbuwuM6gsGifkaK2r7OOrKuaqpaesq2wjKmqbmc%3D