Starfield's Massive Launch Success: Over Six Million Players

Politics, News Sept. 10, 2023, 8:54 a.m.

Starfields launch, with over six million players, is a massive success for Bethesda. Its a top game on Steam, but its future player retention remains uncertain.

Bethesda Game Studios has finally launched Starfield, much to the delight of Xbox and PC fans who had been eagerly anticipating its release. The game's debut has been nothing short of a resounding success, with Bethesda reporting that it garnered over six million players on its launch day, making it the biggest launch in the studio's history. It's worth noting, however, that this impressive number is partly inflated due to Starfield's inclusion in the Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

While it's undeniable that this marketing tactic may be slightly misleading, there's no denying that it represents a significant victory for Xbox. Furthermore, Starfield has quickly risen to become one of the most popular games on Steam, sharing the limelight with esteemed titles like Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and Baldur's Gate 3.

In the last 24 hours, Starfield achieved a peak concurrent player count of 313,993 on Steam, setting a new all-time high for the space-faring RPG. This remarkable achievement places it at the fourth spot on the Steam concurrent players chart, just trailing behind the aforementioned gaming giants. Although Starfield may fall short when compared to some contemporary competitors, it manages to surpass the peak concurrent player count of some of its historical predecessors.

To put it in perspective, Starfield's 313,993 concurrent players exceed the peak player count of Skyrim, which reached 287,411 concurrent players 12 years ago. It's important to note that Steam's popularity has significantly grown since Skyrim's release, suggesting that if Skyrim were launched today, it could potentially surpass Starfield's concurrent player count. Evidence supporting this notion can be found in Fallout 4, which achieved a staggering 472,962 concurrent players eight years ago.

However, one crucial factor impacting Starfield's player count is its availability on Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass PC. When previous Bethesda Game Studios titles were released, Xbox Game Pass didn't even exist, likely diverting a substantial number of players away from Steam.

The future of Starfield's player base remains uncertain. Will it follow the enduring success of Skyrim, which is still relevant 12 years after its release, or will it experience a shorter-lived popularity akin to Fallout 4? It's too early to make a definitive prediction, but the game has certainly made an impressive debut. Nonetheless, with highly anticipated titles like Mortal Kombat 1, Marvel's Spider-Man 2, Alan Wake 2, and more on the horizon, Starfield may face challenges in maintaining its initial success.