With Nintendo’s legendary release of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom breaking records this year and, recently, Baldur’s Gate 3 overtaking TotK on the Metacritic score as the highest-rated game for 2023, it’s clear that Starfield is going to make or break the Xbox Series X/S in 2023.
As of July, the Xbox Series X/S’s closest rival, the PlayStation 5, blew them out of the water after they reached 40 million consoles sold since its release. In fact, PS5 sales have seen a 68% increase compared to this time last year. In June, Microsoft finally released their Xbox console sales for both the Xbox One and Series X and S. They reported having sold just over 21 million units of the Series generation to date.
To put things into perspective of how bad sales have been; PS5 hit 20 million sales by May 2022 and is now on 40 million-plus sales, while the Series X/S only hit 20 million units sold between November and December of last year and now only managed just over a million more between then and now.
Making matters worse, there are rumors of a PS5 Pro and Slim being released sometime in 2024. Adding to the worry, Nintendo is also looking to feature its new gaming console in 2024. Taking all this into account and the fact that both PS5 and Nintendo boast loads of exclusive titles, we could see more and more gamers switch their loyalties from Xbox and side with one of their rivals. These are worrying signs for Microsoft and the Xbox, but things could get better sooner rather than later and prove how important Starfield is to the future of the Xbox Series generation.
Will Starfield Drive Xbox Series X and S Sales?
The short answer is yes. Starfield should help drive more Xbox Series X/S sales. Exclusive titles have been the reason behind Sony’s great and unhinged success with the PlayStation 5 and even the PlayStation 4.
Even with the release of Starfield, Sony isn’t even breaking a sweat, as they have more than a couple of exclusives launching between now and the end of the year and going into the new year. Because Starfield is a flagship for Microsft and a game most loyal Xbox players have been waiting for, we could see sales take a turn for the better.
Related: Starfield Launch Version Raises Hopes for Extremely Polished Release
Rumors have been making the rounds that some players with PS5s are ready to trade their Sony systems in for the Xbox Series X or S at Gamestop ahead of Starfield’s launch, making sure they get to play their preferred game on their preferred system. Gamestop hasn’t confirmed this is actually the case, while some news outlets believe it is a false narrative to increase the hype surrounding Starfield.
All is Not Lost: The Settled Systems of Starfield Could Help Xbox Series X/S Sales
That’s right, all is definitely not lost. Come September, we could see a rapid rise in Xbox Series sales. Starfield has gone gold already for pre-orders. Spider-Man 2 has yet to achieve this feat.
With the news that the pre-orders are strong and a bit of word of mouth between friends, family, and gamers, we could see the Xbox benefit from all of this. There is no way Starfield can help Microsoft reach 40 million in the space of a month. However, it does prove that with more exclusives such as Starfield, they can change their fortunes before the end of the year, or at least before Sony drops the PS5 Pro.
Many things will unfold for Microsoft come September. Starfield is Microsoft’s biggest chance to shoot for the stars, and it really can be named the saving grace of the Xbox Series X|S. For more Starfield content and to get in on the hype, you can read All Revealed Starfield Factions Listed.
