Phil Spencer, head of Xbox, told Axios he wants to make Starfield the most-played game in Bethesda’s history, asking how the team can bring the title to a larger audience than any previous Bethesda release.
Ambition to expand Starfield’s reach
Spencer said he admires the player statistics for franchises such as Forza and Halo and noted the growth seen between Psychonauts 1 and Psychonauts 2. Speaking about Starfield with Todd Howard, Spencer framed the conversation around a single question: “How do we make this game the most popular Bethesda game of all time?”
Making games accessible to more players
He added that Microsoft’s approach is to enable games to reach more players than ever before because he believes in the social impact of interactive entertainment. Spencer said he wants more people playing titles like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and Candy Crush in five years than play them today by making those games more accessible to a broader audience.
On acquisitions and team support
Spencer referenced Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision and the industry attention it drew, including speculation about effects on employees and investors. He said his priority is protecting what makes teams better and ensuring people feel secure, pushing back against the notion that the company holds “unrestricted hyper power.”
Responses to controversy
When asked about reports of misconduct at Activision and potential consequences for Bobby Kotick, Spencer declined to dwell on the specifics, reiterating that the focus of the acquisition is supporting the teams themselves, according to Axios.
Long-term platform goals
Spencer described Microsoft’s longer-term objective as ensuring creators on its platform have the best opportunity to reach the maximum number of players while retaining the creative diversity they need. He framed the acquisition strategy as aligned with increasing the player base for Xbox titles overall.
Release date
Starfield, created by Todd Howard at Bethesda, is scheduled for release on November 22 of this year.
