There Were Originally Three Versions Of Starfield Planned, According To Ex 3D Game Artist

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According to a job description on LinkedIn, there were originally three versions of planned, with it being intended as a multi-platform release. Ultimately, Microsoft's acquisition of Zenimax Media, the owners of Bethesda Game Studios, the studio's massive space RPG was an Xbox console exclusive and launched on Xbox Series S/X and PC in September 2023.

As reported by Tech4Gamers, the Experience section of Jason Tonks’ LinkedIn profile showed that during his time working as a 3D Artist at Bethesda Game Studios between 2017 and 2021, a PlayStation 5 version of was also in the works. To make matters more interesting, with multi-platform releases, studios tend to target the lead console manufacturer at the time to invest their energy in ensuring it works on that device first while porting it to the others, a strategy revealed by former Rockstar Games animator, Mike York in a YouTube video. PlayStation was the best-selling console at the time, so it is possible Bethesda may have been working primarily on a PS5 version before the Microsoft buyout.

During a hearing with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) (via TheVerge), it was revealed that a huge part of the reason Microsoft acquired Bethesda is due to Xbox's CEO Phil Spencer being concerned that Sony was going to make a PlayStation exclusive and skip Xbox, or at least be a timed exclusive. This would align previous rumors, and with what PlayStation had done with other titles owned by ZeniMax such as and, which further establishes that Bethesda could have been working primarily on a PS5 version of the game.

With so much work likely being done on making run on PS5, this could indicate that a PlayStation version of the game could be released at some point, albeit likely after many years of exclusivity on Xbox to make the most out of Microsoft's investment. Recently, Microsoft has been releasing formerly Xbox-exclusive titles on PlayStation and Nintendo Switch in a move that's been extremely profitable, with there being