Ever since Bethesda joined the Xbox ranks, talk has been centred on whether the likes of Starfield will be coming to PS5.
When Xbox took the plunge and went all-in to buy Bethesda and its range of studios and famed IPs, the hot topic was all about exclusivity. Franchises like Fallout, The Elder Scrolls, and, soon, Starfield have been shared across multiple platforms and numerous generations, but Bethesda joining the Xbox ranks raised questions about the future of those titles.
Most recently, Starfield has been at the forefront of that debate, and while it’s always been assumed that it would come to Xbox platforms exclusively — at least to start — there was hope lingering that the space-bound RPG would eventually make its way to PS5 and other platforms.
The Xbox and Bethesda crews have been adamant that Starfield would be Xbox and PC bound exclusively, but some argued that the language used, while somewhat definitive, still left the door open for its appearance on PS5.
Most recently, some comments made by Bethesda executive Pete Hines were interpreted as suggesting there was a slim possibility for that happening, but Hines has been quick to chime in and shout down the suggestion.
A fan on Twitter, screencapping a recent interview with Hines, suggested that the possibility lingers for Starfield to be appear on PS5.
“Bethesda’s Pete Hines suggests the door might still be open for possibility of games like Starfield coming to PS5 in future,” they said.
A fan reached out to Hines directly, seeking clarification, as it immediately seemed as though the comments had been taken out of context. Hines response was, as one might expect, rather definitive.
“No, that isn’t what I was suggesting,” Hines said in response when asked if his comments pointed to Starfield being on PS5.
For context, Hines initial comments came by way of a livestream he did at Gamescom. He said:
“I have no idea how to state this in a way when … I don’t know. I don’t know the answer. It doesn’t exist. It’s not like I know it and I just don’t want to tell you. I don’t know. There are Xbox brands that exist on other platforms, first and foremost. I think that’s important to note. Starfield, it was announced as a thing that’s an Xbox exclusive,” he said. “I don’t know if I would go so far as to say you’re done ever playing stuff on PlayStation. But again, I don’t know the answer to that right now.”
It appears as though Hines was speaking purely objectively: at the moment it is an Xbox exclusive, and he’s not in a position to answer whether or not it will stay that way. But at the moment, it’s an Xbox exclusive.
