Bethesda apologizes for Starfield exclusivity

The only worthwhile system to play Bethesda games will always be on PC, same with TES games to be honest, and since Sony fans have PCs, no need to worry right?

Then stop assuming every PC gamer is a pirate. Look we get it, PC isn't your thing but don't go assuming they are despite what you heard here, sometimes we like to joke about it, sheesh! Also, it needs to be said but Sony fans here also have gaming PCs is what Chutebox meant if anyone wants to play Starfield that badly.

TC cares about Bethesda games again?

Maybe this means that Starfield is the exception, not the rule. Or will he apologize for every exclusive from now on...!?

bethesda has always had a closer relationship with microsoft/xbox even going back to the original xbox js.

ps2 couldnt run morrowind and xbox could lol.

I'd apologize as well, being stuck with Bethesda is a crime.

He shouldn't have to apologize at all. It's been this way in gaming for decades. In the 90's if you wanted to play Sonic, you bought Sega, want Mario, get Nintendo. That's how it's always been, You gotta pay to play. If the people I've seen having meltdowns spent half their time working toward earning what they want rather than sitting online bitching about it, it wouldn't be an issue.

Receiving 7.5 billion dollars means never having to say you're sorry. :P

@killerpainrulez: True. Also every 7th gen Bethesda games ran much better on 360 than on PS3. The scenario changed a bit last gen, though. PS consoles are much more transparent and balanced now (no more marketing crap like emotion engine, of tech cell), and many Xbox and 360 owners have now Playstation for this or that reason.

Strong words. I don't see this stance when people make assumptions about other factions. 😎

@SecretPolice: But isn't Bethesda part of the bigger company that was bought. They probably didn't even have a choice. Just guessing, i know nothing about the business details of what happened 😅

That is correct and he also didn't apologize for the game being exclusive. IGN misrepresented his words.

@PAL360:

Yeah, I was just posting that for the fun of it but it does make the point. They were part of ZeniMax so all's fair in love and System Warfare. lol :P

Safe to say he is likely responding to lots of nasty hate mail, which if it's coming from Sony fanboys then it's probably extra nasty, might even be waking up tripping over dead animals on his front porch as he goes to grab the morning paper, you know, warnings. He should just tell them to take those entitled and upset feelings and shove em where the sun don't shine, and "hey, I thought all you guys had beastly PCs, get Game Pass".

It will be a pile of shit like most unmodded Bethesda titles.

Fret not.

yep totally misrepresented his words.. the thread title should be changed to reflect what he actually said

You're being disingenuous here. The game is not locked on Xbox, it will be coming to PC on day one and included on Game Pass for PC. If you have Game Pass Ultimate, you get it for both Xbox and PC on day one.

You don't have to buy an Xbox, you don't even have to subscribe to Game Pass. As long as you have even a low end gaming PC you can play it. If you happen to have a killer gaming PC, you probably won't want to buy an Xbox and you will be playing it in the best way possible and for free with Game Pass. A world of a difference that you are glossing over and I know why.

On the other hand, Sony's exclusives are locked to the playstation hardware and sell for $70. That means you are screwed if you don't own a Playstation console. You have to buy a Playstation and pay $70 a pop to play those game. Even if you have an uber Gaming PC with a 5950X CPU and a 3090 GPU, it doesn't matter. You have to go hunt down a PS5 and pay $70 for the privilege of playing one of those movie games.

Exclusivity at this level is shitty no matter who does it.

Then again, there aren't a lot of PS5s in the wild.... Maybe right now it actually isn't worth it.

Still a shitty move towards some gamers by MS.

Crazy how fast exclusives = bad became a thing here. Right around the time Starfield was confirmed as one.

If it was the other way round and StarField was PS5 exclusive you guys would be rubbing it in every other gamers face like you've been doing with all your other exclusives for years.

"operate independently" can mean many things. i.e. they are not interfering in the game making process... where the game goes (publishing) would of course come down from above and tie into the larger corporate strategy.

I assume MS would be happy to put any and all games on PS if Sony would allow gamepass on their systems

If Hines really, really wanted to make Starfield for PS5 or Switch, he could make it happen. He could even get Microsoft to sign off on it; they aren't like Sony where they need for everything to be exclusive and blocked off from other platforms. Maybe it would be a year delayed on PS5, or maybe it wouldn't have a bunch of DLC or something, but it would be there. Microsoft has no problem selling its games on Steam, or Switch, or PlayStation.

But there's only one good reason to do multiplat: to wring out more money from your game development investment. That's it. If you don't need the money anymore (and with Microsoft's wallet supporting them, Bethesda definitely doesn't need the money anymore), there's very little reason to do multiplat and a bunch of reasons to focus on a single platform. And of course, Microsoft bought them to do just that.

Want to play Starfield on your PS5? Get Game Pass Ultimate and play it through the PS5's web browser.

shocked. shocked i say. absolutely shocked. who saw it coming? /s

i think everyone knows the score these days. if it wants the MS games then it puts the gamepass subscription option on its platform.

a good remark from bethesda too. being all understanding of frustration and all that.

interesting times ahead. 3 things could basically happen here

1) nothing.

2) MS and sony reach an agreement and gamepass comes to the PS5 (seriously dont get your hopes up though)

3) Sony fill in the gaps, where necessary, with their own exclusives. i think both MS and sony have said they are still dev shopping.

a year ahead of ps5 version.

that how i see this.

why do you see it that way? Phil Spencer said XBOX exclusive at the E3

It's exclusive there's not much more to say on the matter. Sony will be fine with their own 3rd party deals alongside the AAA bangers.

My answer to this is the same as it will be for all exclusives. If it is not on Playstation I will not be playing the game.

Starfield, as a game, is meaningless to me now.

I do not expect Xboxers to pay for a PS to play the PS exclusives either. The only way to break this divisive corporate game from the likes of Sony and Microsoft is not to play their game and buy all the consoles - but people will encourage this bad behaviour.

Everyone knew this was coming with the purchase of Bethesda. Exclusives are here to stay. For some of us, we enjoy the capability of owning more than one console. For others, if you really want it, you’ll find a way to save and get it. Cows/Sheep can’t be hating, they’ve got their own exclusives.

Shitty move by MS for having games exclusive to PC and Xbox? Is Sony equally as shitty for have exclusivity for games such as GT, Uncharted and a slew of other titles? This isn't shitty this is business.

That's not what they said. Let them operate independently meant making the games they wanted and how they wanted. It had nothing to do with allowing games to go on other platforms. You'd be a fool to think MS was going to fork out 7.5B to let their games go on a competing platform when the reverse isn't true.

It will come to Playstation about the time they have fixed all the bugs.

not what Spencer said on Sunday at the E3

It’s Skyrim in space. I don’t expect all the bugs to be fixed this side of eternity.

so it is never coming to PS5 is what you are saying 😁

It shouldn't matter, you have a gaming PC to play the game. 😎

I guess so 😂

In the words of the Virgin Mary: ”Come again”?

So your answer to MS having exclusives to not to play it because it's not on the PS. You only play PS games which just happens to be one of the biggest offenders of exclusivity and does everything in their power to keep every game they can off all systems?

So aren't YOU encouraging such "bad behavior" then? Sounds extremely hypocritical but what else would you expect from a cow

Hahaha no it won't, not unless Sony agrees to having GP on it's systems.

@kingtito: There is honestly a difference between taking a previously multi-platform game and making it exclusive than any of the three making a new IP of their own. Or if they fund the game entirely then they have the right to exclusivity.

As far as I know Mario and Zelda have always been Nintendo so there is no problem.

Final Fantasy 7 was multi-platform so it was a bad move by Sony to make it PS exclusive for over a year.

Taking Bethesda away from being multi-platform, when they had many multi-platform games, was ethically wrong in my opinion. But I will also give my console, Sony, a kicking for what they do with making multi-plats exclusive - as per the above example.

I will follow it up with saying I have no problem with games like Persona being multi-plat - all I care about is that I can still play the next game on PS.

Let's keep real for a moment. Sony has actively worked on keeping games off other platforms. Many games. They even worked on keeping games off PS4, their own system.

The outcry for exclusives was answered. Now, gamers got exactly what they were begging for, more exclusives. Instead of pushing for more multiplatform games, the media and gamers did the exact opposite. So, what did you all expect from a multi-trillion dollar company?😐

I truly feel sorry for anyone who will be stuck playing the Xbox version. This is a game meant to be played on PC.

For the sake of £2500 I'm sure i'll be OK roughing it on Series X.

Don't need to be so obviously bitter that the game is not coming to PS5. 😎

There was even rumours (Sony Reportedly Wanted Starfield as PS5 Timed Exclusive (gamerant.com)) that Sony wanted StarField timed exclusivity before MS swooped in.

You shouldn't let some chump change get in the way of quality. Life is too short to settle for less than the best.

@Pedro: You do know two wrongs don't make a right?

Good point.