It looks like Starfield might not be releasing on PlayStation 5 soon, if it’s coming at all.
What’s Starfield’s history with the PlayStation 5?
Microsoft revealed that Starfield was not coming to the PlayStation 5 in 2021, all the way back when Bethesda’s space-faring title was first announced. Sony turned it into a talking point to attack Microsoft’s pending deal with Activision in front of the UK CMA.
Phil Spencer, now the head of Microsoft Gaming, once said that they acquired ZeniMax after they received word that Sony was planning to make Starfield a PlayStation 5 exclusive. Sony had influence and could sway ZeniMax into a huge money deal, but Microsoft pushed even harder by buying the whole company.
But That’s All Ancient History Now
But then, Microsoft turned the video game industry upside down after completing their acquisition of Activision. They slowly pivoted to publishing their games on PlayStation, after reviewing their commitments to keep Activision’s games multiplatform. Today, Microsoft is the biggest third party publisher in the industry.
Is Starfield Getting A PlayStation 5 Port After All?
Since Microsoft pivoted, a Starfield PlayStation 5 port came up in frantic rumors and speculation. NateTheHate claimed last May that Microsoft would be announcing the port sometime this year. He didn’t say that the game would be released this year, but in Nate’s words:
It’s just a matter of when will the announcement happen.
That takes us to today. Nate said this when he was asked about it on Twitter yet again:
Still happening; but release may have slipped a touch later than originally planned. Will update when I can.
Nate did not imply that the PlayStation 5 port was cancelled. But it does sound like Bethesda Game Studios is taking longer than expected to make a potential PlayStation 5 port.
Bethesda May Or May Not Announce It
Yesterday, Bethesda said that they “will share more about the exciting things we have planned for Starfield in the coming months.” This could mean Bethesda is announcing the PlayStation 5 port after all. And they could have decided to do that even though the port could take months or even years.
There’s Another Elephant In The Room
There is another possibility PlayStation 5 gamers may not like. It is possible that Bethesda Game Studios takes their Starfield port and pushes it forward to the PlayStation 6 instead.
Bethesda could do this if they figure out the amount of work needed to make the PlayStation 5 port will take too long. Of course, if this port is ready by the time the PlayStation 6 is out, or is already in its third year or so, wouldn’t fans be asking for a PlayStation 6 version instead?
So, believe it or not, but even now that Microsoft publishes their top games on PlayStation, Starfield could still skip the PlayStation 5 after all. We’ll see what Bethesda and Microsoft announce, but PlayStation 5 owners may want to reconsider if they’re just going to wait it out.
