It might feel like Bethesda’s Starfield is a bit of a flop, but that doesn’t mean this game is far from it; in fact, an updated Starfield player count from new Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer (during a recent talk at CCXP 2023) highlights some rather impressive growth over the last month – and that’s without any major updates. With Spencer also name-dropping the upcoming DLC, something we think should show up during The Game Awards this week, Starfield fans have a lot to be excited about – even if it feels like Bethesda are being a little too quiet about everything.
You might not think Bethesda’s Starfield is one of the best RPG games out there right now, especially with titles like Remnant 2 and Baldur’s Gate 3 releasing in the last few months, but the numbers don’t lie; Starfield is still shockingly popular and it’s easily one of the best Xbox Game Pass games out there right now – which, we can imagine, certainly helps.
During a talk at CCXP 2023 (Sao Paulo’s Comic Con), Spencer – who was recently appointed Microsoft Gaming CEO during an Xbox leadership reshuffle – revealed that the Starfield player count had surpassed 12 million players. With Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sharing that Starfield had hit 11 million players in late October – during a call to discuss the recent acquisition of Activison Blizzard King – this growth of another million (or more) players in just over a month is mightily impressive.
Although, as a single player game with more than enough new Xbox games to compete with when it comes to your free time, this growth can’t last forever – can it?
Well, we don’t think it will last forever, no. However, it might last a little while longer thanks to the upcoming Starfield DLC and eventual arrival of the Starfield Xbox mods release date – both of which Spencer mentions during his discussion on Starfield. With both of these on the way, he actually thinks Starfield has the same staying power as Bethesda’s older games – namely Skyrim. You can listen to what Phil Spencer had to say about Starfield specifically at around the 19:00 mark in the video below.
Right now, though, it’s hard to say whether this game will have the same longevity or not. Starfield has a lot of problems – this locked pile of poo, as funny as it is, is a perfect example of some of the major ones – and we don’t think DLC or mod support is going to change that.
However, that doesn’t mean Bethesda isn’t going to do something great – and importantly fun to play – with Starfield’s DLC; and, better yet, we shouldn’t even have to wait too long to find out more about it. Microsoft’s teasing “important” Xbox news at The Game Awards on December 7 and we think it’s more than reasonable to expect some news on Starfield’s Shattered Space DLC during the show. When you look at the time between Fallout 4’s launch and its first bit of DLC and use that as guidance, we should see Starfield’s DLC launch in January 2024. It’s also worth noting that The Game Awards is the only major industry event between now and then. Also, the fact that Spencer is actually name-dropping the expansion itself – something Bethesda is being very quiet on – certainly feels like a good sign, anyway.
Of course, though, this is all worth taking with a pinch of salt until we know more – and The Game Awards arrive. The show itself is scheduled to start at 16:30 PST / 19:30 EST on December 7 and 00:30 GMT on December 8 and should be between two and a half and three hours long. We know there’s quite a few awards to give out, but that sounds like more than enough time to drop a teaser trailer for some new Starfield DLC to us, doesn’t it?
Well, whether you agree or not, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. If there’s one thing to take away from Spencer’s comments – while you hunt for the best Starfield weapons and look for the best Starfield outpost locations on any one of the 1,000 Starfield planets out there waiting to be explored – it’s this: Starfield is still as popular as ever and that isn’t set to change just yet.
Still looking for more? While a good Starfield wiki can be a handy source of information, our new Starfield Database goes further, offering you daily news, searchable databanks, and even interactive tools like a New Atlantis map for exploration.