Starfield: The Launch Went Well, the Game is in Orbit
A Mod to Mock Exclusivity
The gaming community is abuzz with anticipation for the upcoming release of Starfield, Bethesda’s latest game set in an intergalactic universe. While many planets within the game seem to eagerly await player creations and the expansions planned by the game’s developers, there are some mods that have been deemed completely pointless. One such mod appears to be a jab at Xbox for making Starfield an exclusive. The mod, which is still available on Nexus Mods, simply replaces the Bethesda splash screen with the PlayStation Studios animation.
Interestingly, if a player were shown this mod without any knowledge of the people behind the game, they would be none the wiser. However, it is important to note that this mod represents a scenario that could never have been a reality. Prior to Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda, the game publisher was completely independent, with all assets managed by Zenimax, which was created by Bethesda.
It is worth noting that if it weren’t for Microsoft, Starfield could have been a PlayStation exclusive according to Xbox. During the trial between Xbox and the FTC concerning the acquisition of Activision Blizzard, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, stated that one of the reasons Microsoft bought Bethesda was because Sony intended to make Starfield an exclusive, at least temporarily, following the release of Deathloop and Ghostwire Tokyo. The acquisition of Bethesda by Microsoft has since ensured that Starfield will be available on Xbox Game Pass and PC.
