After a generation of constant failures, Xbox is at a turning point. With the release of Bethesda Game Studios’ massive sci-fi RPG Starfield next month, Xbox is confident that they’re finally getting the ball rolling.
In an interview with GamesIndustry, Xbox boss Phil Spencer claimed that the release of Starfield is the “starting gun” for the future of Xbox. Following the past year of poor releases, Xbox is starting a “multi-year relay race of first-party titles.”
Xbox chief marketing officer Jerret West explained that the future of Xbox is strong for first-party exclusives. Following Starfield, Xbox plans to release Forza Motorsport, Hellblade 2, Fable, Avowed and in the far future games like Perfect Dark.
“This is, in my mind, the doorway, almost like a starting gun, to what I think is going to be a multi-year relay race of first-party titles," West explained. “[Starfield] is really the start of something that's going to then lead to Forza, then in 2024 as we go to Hellblade… we think about Avowed, and we've got stories we haven't told yet as well, that are going to unfurl in 2024 and 2025.”
West explained that with the help of the Xbox Game Pass subscription service, the console is in a position to finally hit back at PlayStation. While PlayStation has a collection of high-profile AAA games coming — such as Spider-Man 2 and Wolverine — fans do have to purchase them individually.
“This very much feels like the starting gun for this relay pass that's going to take place over the next couple of years,” he continued. “If you layer in also, Game Pass and the third party relationships that we have... Our third party support that rolls into Game Pass – but also is just on our platform – is critically important too. So I think we are entering a period where this is the beginning of something that's going to be really special over the course of the next several years."
After two years of delays to fix bugs, Starfield is finally launching on Xbox Series and PC on September 6th.