We all knew already that Starfield had been a complete success. Microsoft’s CEO, Satya Nadella, confirmed during the latest financial report that more than 11 million players have enjoyed Starfield to date. Considering it has only been with us for a month and a half, the number speaks highly of the significance of Bethesda‘s title. This success has, in turn, translated into economic gains, as one would expect.
According to Nadella, the release of Starfield has resulted in the highest number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers gained in a single day. When the game was released on September 6th, Xbox Game Pass subscribers surged, given that the game was available from “Day 1” within the service. However, the CEO points out that almost half of the hours played so far have been on the PC version, indicating how well it’s performing on computers.
Continuing on the financial aspect, Xbox revenues from the previous quarter grew by 9% thanks to Xbox Game Pass (which increased by 13%). And here comes the full circle: this growth was driven by, unsurprisingly, the launch of Starfield.
It’s worth noting that despite the record-breaking day for Xbox Game Pass subscriptions and the increased revenues, console sales revenue dropped by 7% compared to the same quarter in 2022. This is a negative point for Microsoft, but on the other hand, it strengthens their strategy, which is to maximize Game Pass subscriptions.
Now, it remains to be seen how Bethesda continues to add content to the game – extending its lifespan so that players keep entering this vast universe. There are certainly plenty of planets to explore.
