Many fans would love to play Starfield on PS5, but there's one problem- Bethesda Game Studios is now part of Microsoft.
What does this mean for the game's potential availability on PlayStation 5? Well, a whole lot, it turns out. Microsoft has got itself in massive legal tangles over its acquisition of Activision Blizzard, with much of that centred on its apparent desire to make that company's IPs available only on Xbox/PC.
And with the hype around Starfield reaching fever-pitch, the desire of PlayStation 5 owners to get their hands on the open-world RPG is only increasing. Imagine being unable to explore the vastness of space with hundreds of planets at your disposal; that would be tragic!
In this primer, we will explain the current situation of Starfield's potential availability on PS5 and what may happen.
Is Starfield on PS5?
This answer will upset many fans, but Starfield will not be released on PS5. There are ways to play Starfield on Sony devices, but the PS5 isn't one of them. Bethesda's new RPG will be Xbox/PC exclusive and won't be available to PS players. Even Game Pass users will get it as well on day 1.
The reason for this exclusivity is the fact that Bethesda is a studio owned by Microsoft, as we've said. As one of Sony's main competitors, releasing exclusives for their platforms to entice users to purchase their consoles is a common practice in the so-called console wars.
You may wonder if Xbox will keep Starfield multi-platform since they promised the same for Call of Duty. That's a different story, as COD is a money-making machine for Activision, and their sales on Sony consoles are a huge contributor to that fact. Plus, Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox, has stated they'll continue honouring specific deals Activision had with Sony even after the acquisition.
Will Microsoft listen to the Starfield on the PS5 petition?
Those who have been following the development of Starfield for a long time probably know about this by now. Still, following the announcement of Starfield's Xbox and PC exclusivity, a user named Benjamin Dickey created a petition on Change.org demanding that the game be made exclusive to PS5.
The petition demands that Microsoft honours Sony fans by giving them access to Bethesda's behemoth that could rival Skyrim in popularity and cultural relevancy. The delivery tone is rude and childish, fitting for a post that's high-quality bait looking to incite some console war debate on social media.
At first, the arguments set out in the petition may seem reasonable. Indeed, some PlayStation users will experience frustration because of Starfield's exclusivity. After all, Bethesda games were multi-platform before, and changing this can feel like they're being robbed of something they should have.
The user claims that Sony guarantees quality and that the games they publish are good in most, if not all, cases. Regardless of the correctness of this statement, it's hard to agree with the implication that Starfield needs to be a PS5 exclusive to be perceived as a good game.
It's unlikely that a petition with such an impossible demand can succeed. Funnily enough, a user named Michael Goudie created a counter-petition directly opposing the previous one.
Not even a million signatures will change the fact that Starfield is Xbox-exclusive. It's a sad reality that PlayStation users must come to terms with.
Anyway, if you're looking forward to Starfield's release. In that case, we have plenty of excellent guides to get you prepped for release, including everything we know about the crafting mechanics, what you can expect regarding ship customization, and a comprehensive guide on your Starfield companions.
For all things Starfield, stick with us at Starfield Portal.