Xbox will shake PlayStation and its exclusives with Starfield

Xbox and PlayStation have been rivals for decades, but they have never faced each other as directly as they do now. During the previous generation, we saw a very confident and extremely arrogant PlayStation, which used exclusivity as its main weapon to gain an advantage and weaken its competitor to the maximum.

Now, Xbox wants to hit PlayStation back, and the interesting thing is that it will do so by giving it a taste of its own medicine. Hence, the exclusivity of Starfield and other games is so important for the future of Xbox and for the rivalry between these two giants.

PlayStation's exclusives have annoyed Xbox

On September 21, 2020, we published news that PlayStation would prefer to forget: Sony was negotiating with Bethesda for the exclusivity of Starfield. This came to light hours after Microsoft announced the acquisition of ZeniMax Media and became the owner of Bethesda Softworks.

Thanks to the hearings about the Activision Blizzard acquisition, we know that Xbox was afraid that Starfield would be another exclusive for PlayStation 5, so it decided to acquire the entire studio conglomerate to prevent it. Was it an exaggerated move? Not for Xbox, which had several reasons to act as soon as possible: PlayStation had already paid for the exclusivities of DEATHLOOP and Ghostwire: Tokyo, games that arrived on Xbox after the respective agreements ended.

Thus, Starfield was the last straw for Xbox, which had already suffered for years from the consequences of PlayStation's exclusives with third parties. It is enough to remember that games of the caliber of Street Fighter V, Detroit: Become Human, Nioh, Final Fantasy XIV, and Final Fantasy VII Remake were left out of Xbox for one reason or another. The same happened for a while with sagas like Persona, Yakuza, among many others.

Of course, PlayStation was not the only one to blame for this, as Xbox clearly was not at its best with the Xbox One. So probably more than one developer decided not to be on the platform for commercial reasons. Despite this, Xbox decided to make several strong moves to change the situation.

As you surely remember, the issue of exclusivity was widely discussed when the acquisition of Bethesda was announced. In a matter of months, we learned that Redfall and Starfield would be exclusive to Xbox. Additionally, there were surprises like Hi-Fi Rush, a title from Tango Gameworks that came out of nowhere to give a good start to Xbox's year.

While Arkane's shooter was a failure, Xbox made it clear that it will follow PlayStation's game when it comes to exclusives, but with a fundamental difference: it will not simply pay for them, but will buy entire studios to have the games in its possession. Undoubtedly, this topic will be widely discussed in the future, as Microsoft does not plan to stop investing millions, just like Sony, to enrich its gaming ecosystem with unique content.

Recently, it was confirmed that the game Indiana Jones, developed by MachineGames and Bethesda, will be exclusive to Xbox and will not come to PlayStation 5. The question is that there is a long list of games on the way, including The Elder Scrolls VI, that could have the same fate. In addition, the approval of the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a company that has some of the most recognized franchises in the industry, is pending.

Of course, PlayStation and some of its players may dislike Xbox's aggressive approach to exclusivity. However, from Xbox's perspective, this strategy is crucial for them to compete with PlayStation and regain their market share.

By acquiring Bethesda and other studios, Xbox has gained control over a portfolio of highly anticipated games and beloved franchises. Starfield, in particular, is expected to be a major game-changer. It is an ambitious sci-fi RPG from Bethesda Game Studios, known for their successful Elder Scrolls and Fallout series. The exclusivity of Starfield on Xbox consoles means that PlayStation players will miss out on this highly anticipated title.

This move by Xbox signifies a shift in the console war dynamics. Xbox is no longer content with simply competing on hardware specs or services; they are now actively pursuing exclusive content to entice players to their platform. This puts PlayStation in a challenging position, as they have relied heavily on exclusive titles to attract players in the past.

It remains to be seen how this exclusivity battle will unfold and how PlayStation will respond. PlayStation still has a strong lineup of exclusives, including popular franchises like God of War, Spider-Man, and Horizon. However, Xbox's aggressive approach with the acquisition of Bethesda and the potential acquisition of Activision Blizzard could tip the scales in their favor.

Ultimately, it is the players who will be affected by these exclusivity deals. Console wars can be divisive, but they also drive innovation and competition, pushing both companies to deliver the best gaming experiences possible. Whether Xbox's exclusivity strategy with titles like Starfield will shake PlayStation and its exclusives remains to be seen, but it certainly adds an exciting element to the ongoing rivalry between the two gaming giants.

Of course, PlayStation and some of its players are unhappy with the idea of missing out on important games like Starfield. It's a hard blow because it's one of Bethesda's most ambitious games and, moreover, it's their new IP in decades. Fans of the brand are accustomed to receiving almost everything the industry has to offer on their console, but it's evident that it won't be the case in the coming years.

As expected, PlayStation didn't sit idly by and secured significant exclusives such as Final Fantasy XVI, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Death Stranding 2, Silent Hill 2 Remake, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake, Foamstars, and Stellar Blade. It seems that the battle for exclusivity will become increasingly fierce, especially if companies continue to throw money at acquiring studios.

In a matter of months, Xbox will have significant exclusive games to counter potential third-party deals made by PlayStation and also to compete with PlayStation Studios' productions. Of course, Starfield will be the company's first major card, hence the importance of the game's successful debut.

Starfield has the power to change the course of Xbox

For years, Phil Spencer and his team have been fighting to end the narrative that Xbox lacks games, that it can't offer great exclusives like PlayStation, and therefore, can't even be nominated for Game of the Year (GOTY).

Clearly, Starfield has the power to change all of this. It's one of the most anticipated titles of the year and promises to be that great game that Xbox has wanted to offer its community for a long time.

Spencer knows it. Not in vain, he retracted his defeatist comments about Xbox not being able to compete with PlayStation and Nintendo with just great games. Starfield has generated enormous expectations, it has positioned itself on the list of best-selling games on Steam, and it made Xbox have the best event of the season.

The Starfield Showcase left very good impressions to the extent that many believe the RPG has the potential to be one of the nominees for Game of the Year at The Game Awards. This would mean that Xbox could finally be in the running, and on the other hand, Bethesda could repeat the feats it achieved with Fallout 4 in this and other award ceremonies.

That being said, Starfield can also usher in a new era of competition between Xbox and PlayStation, both outside and within award ceremonies. The title is shaping up to be that great success that Xbox needs and, why not, that console seller that Xbox Series X|S lacked during its launch. It could also be the key to attracting many more subscribers to services like Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Of course, for all of the above to happen, Starfield must live up to expectations. We have the precedent of Fallout 76 and Redfall, which smelled bad from their reveal. However, the situation is different with Starfield, and things look much more favorable, despite not everyone being happy with its 30 fps and other details that have been confirmed in recent days.

In this sense, it's not surprising to know that Starfield is already going through that cycle of criticism that every industry exclusive suffers: someone managed to give it a 0 on Metacritic months before its release, there are also proposals to boycott its launch, and requests for it to come to PlayStation 5 as an exclusive since Xbox players supposedly don't deserve it.

In conclusion, Starfield will be another step for the industry, but it can be that great leap that Xbox and its players have been waiting for. The game has the ability to change the defeatist discourse surrounding the brand and be that shake-up that Xbox has sought to give to PlayStation and its exclusives for years.