Starfield is going to be a huge release for Xbox systems and Microsoft knows it. Not only is the company hyping it up but the Xbox Series console boxes have replaced the brand’s flagship series Halo with Bethesda’s new sci-fi RPG.
A post on the game’s subreddit shows that new Xbox Series X consoles have the Bethesda RPG at the bottom now. Prior to this, it was Master Chief from the Halo games, indicating a major shift in Xbox advertising.
While fans are split on the decision, most agree that Starfield is a hotter property right now. Even though Halo: Infinite received decent reviews, the middling fan reception and sales haven’t helped its reputation.
“They have shifted all their marketing toward starfield. Halo hasn't done so hot with 343 studio project's, so it's likely the chief is going to go into "stasis" for a bit while they figure out what to do with the IP,” says RuneiStillwater.
“Halo Infinite was supposed to be the console seller. Not only did it not even launch with the next-gen console as intended 💀 it eventually came out much later and was received poorly,” bluntly says superman_king. “If I was Xbox, I would have also dropped it off the packaging ASAP.”
Xbox Series consoles did get an increase in sales after the Starfield gameplay showcase so there is precedent for this decision. The fact that fans are planning to skip work just to play this game shows how much goodwill this Bethesda RPG has.
On the Halo side of things, it hasn’t been great. Mass layoffs at Microsoft led to 60+ employees losing their jobs with Halo developer 343 Studios. Halo Infinite also made some baffling decisions, like keeping Forge online and adding ray-tracing late.
Despite seemingly taking the Xbox throne from Halo, it’s not all good news for Starfield. Some fans are weirdly upset that this adventure will only be running at 30 FPS. Others are more understandably upset at the AMD partnership ruining things for weaker laptops.
Read More: Starfield hype is already causing other devs to change their plans
Starfield is coming to Xbox Series and PC on September 6.