Starfield Review in Progress – It has Skyrim’s eyes and Fallout’s nose

Those buying an Xbox Series X can get a free Starfield copy at select retailers, including Verizon and Target.

It's no secret that Starfield — out now on PC and Xbox Series S/X — is hands down one of the most monumental game launches of the year. For Bethesda, it's a gamble in uncharted territory as they undertake their first new universe in 25 years, set across the stars in a futuristic civilised corner of the Milky Way galaxy. For publisher Xbox, it's an opportunity to bounce back from a lacklustre 2022 slate and dominate the gaming conversation for a long time — probably years, given the staying power director Todd Howard's RPGs are notorious for. With over a thousand planets to explore, dashing factions to align with, and cosmic mysteries bubbling with political intrigue, Starfield aims to be the most complex spacefaring adventure of our generation. As such, it soars gracefully, but not without some turbulence.

Earlier this week, pizza chef Denis Fisher turned his breakfast into Chunks—an unappetising, but efficient food option from Starfield. Chunks are, as you might assume, chunks of food—processed cubes that're about as appealing as they are inevitable in our eventually tech-swarmed world.

My Starfield review-in-progress went up 11 days ago, on August 31. I had made my way through a good chunk of the main quest and was getting my bearings in Bethesda's gigantic universe. Now that I'm on the other side of dozens of hours spent galavanting through the galaxy, much of what I said before still holds true, and other than some small nitpicks, Starfield is truly out of this world. And now that pun is officially out of the way.

Game Pass has changed everything, but we're still looking back to see how Starfield's launch numbers compare to BGS' past games.

A prolific Skyrim and Fallout modder has brought their incredibly detailed eye mod to Starfield.

Xbox’s most anticipated game in years has finally arrived and it’s reaching for the stars… While everyone has been preparing for lift-off, we’ve spent the last week sailing around the universe to discover if Starfield is a small step for games or a giant leap for gaming kind.

To say there’s been a great deal of hype leading up to this point for one of the first Microsoft/Bethesda post-merger is a bit of an understatement. There’s been a lot said about one of the first feature games of its new era, Starfield. While most of the game’s coverage has been largely positive, the talk on behind-the-scenes matters hasn’t always been.

Starfield officially releases tomorrow, and yet, it’s estimated there are already over 2 million people playing the game. How so? Well, if you shell out for the Starfield Premium Edition, you get to play the game 5 days early. While we don’t have hard numbers yet, PlayTracker has analyzed user data, and estimates the game has sold over a million copies on both Steam and Xbox Series X/S. Of course, with the exception of a few reviewers and influencers, all those folks playing must have purchased the Premium Edition.

Starfield's design director has said Bethesda regained the trust of players after fixing Fallout 76 following its rough launch.

Ah, Bethesda games. Playing through them the way the devs intended is only half the fun. The other half is bending them to your will with mods and console commands, cheating your way through the open world. So, lo and behold, that's exactly what Starfield players are getting up to already.

This Week in Business is our weekly recap column, a collection of stats and quotes from recent stories presented with a dash of opinion (sometimes more than a dash) and intended to shed light on various trends. Check back every Friday for a new entry.