Bethesda’s space-exploration RPG Starfield will be out and in the hands of gamers in less than two weeks, and Jerret West, the chief marketing officer for Xbox and corporate vice president of Microsoft Gaming, is hopeful that it’ll mark the beginning of a “relay race” of exclusives that’ll be “amazing for Xbox”.
In an interview with GamesRadar+ at Gamescom, West said that Starfield represents “community joy and communal joy” for Xbox, and noted that it’s not “very often” that a game so ambitious and unique comes along. Even so, West argues that it’s just the start of a great era for Xbox, with other titles like Forza Motorsport and Avowed on the way soon.
“I think that Starfield in some ways represents the starting gun of a relay race that is going to be amazing for Xbox as well," West told GamesRadar+. “And when I say Xbox, I mean the console and PC gaming communities. You see that all of these games are launching into Game Pass day and date on PC, and on console. We've got Starfield and then Forza. And then if you think about 2024, we've already announced things like Avowed and Hellblade [2], and maybe you've got an opportunity to play Towerborne.
“All of these games are kind of the baton pass to really create and shape how people are experiencing Xbox as a brand,” he continued. “So I don't know that we need to put the pressure of changing a narrative on Starfield. I think of it more like it's the starting gun of a relay race that's going to be pretty special for us over the next several years. And there are many titles that will contribute to that winning race.”
Starfield is set to launch on Xbox Series X|S and PC on September 6, but early access for those with the Premium or Constellation editions of the game will commence on September 1. The Starfield pre-order guide goes over all what's included in those editions and where to buy, and you can also consider the Starfield controller and the Starfield Xbox wireless headset, too.
There’s a whole load of exciting upcoming games to look forward to right now. For more Xbox releases happening in 2023 and beyond, be sure to check out our list of new Xbox Series X games.
