“Starfield”, that’s it – it’s gaming in a nutshell over the past few weeks.
Bethesda Game Studios’ long-anticipated space exploration game hasn’t just made a dent in the cosmos, it has officially exploded into a supernova of viewer interest, rattling platforms like Twitch and Steam with record-breaking metrics. The most amazing part is that we’re talking about a game that’s technically not even fully out yet; it’s still in its early access phase for those privileged enough to have pre-ordered the Premium or Constellation editions.
But why bask in the hype when numbers speak for themselves? At its peak, Starfield accrued an astronomical 440,223 peak viewers on Twitch, making it the most-viewed category even before its official release. The game has comfortably settled in with around 196,000 viewers on average, blasting past staples like Grand Theft Auto V and League of Legends, sitting just behind the leading category, Just Chatting. A handful of popular Twitch titans such as Shroud, CohhCarnage, and AnnieFuchsia are leading the charge, clocking in insane viewership numbers while navigating through space’s near-endless frontier.
Speaking of space exploration, one streamer, Jabo, has embarked on a Herculean mission: to visit every single one of Starfield’s over 1,000 planets. If you’re familiar with Jabo’s challenge runs in other Bethesda games, you’d know he’s just the pilot for this adventurous undertaking.
Let’s not forget the metrics on Steam. According to SteamDB, Starfield is one of the most-played game on the platform, pulling in a peak of 248,632 concurrent players. These numbers are only for those who purchased the Premium Edition, which costs $100/£85.99 a piece.
Once Starfield is officially out for the Xbox masses and standard edition buyers on PC, expect those figures to shoot up like a SpaceX rocket.
But let’s pivot for a moment. The success isn’t solely in the numbers; it’s in the gameplay experience as well. While it’s true that Starfield has received mixed reviews – a few critics expressed concerns over the storyline and the intimidating vastness of the game – the majority lean towards the positive.
The term “interstellar playground exceeding all expectations” has been thrown around, and for a Bethesda game, it’s commendably less buggy than anticipated. Even Metacritic, that hallowed ground of collective gamer sentiment, shows Starfield beating previous titles like Fallout 4, despite some niggling debates over framerates and platform availability.
When it comes to cultural resonance, Starfield has effortlessly skyrocketed, making it one of the most significant game launches this year. In just the opening three days of its early access period, the game amassed a staggering 14.1 million hours watched on Twitch. To put that into context, it left GTA V and League of Legends – each with just shy of 10 million and 9.2 million hours watched, respectively – in cosmic dust.
So, what does this all mean for the gaming landscape? Starfield’s monumental early access debut has set the stage for a clash of titans in this year’s Game of the Year deliberations. With other behemoths like Baldur’s Gate 3 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom in the fray, the battle for gaming supremacy is going to be one hell of a galactic showdown.
As for Starfield, its gravity is currently too strong to escape. As the clock ticks down to its official launch on September 6, available for PC and Xbox Series S/X, it’s safe to say that Bethesda might just have another classic on their hands. And if the early hype is any gauge of its future trajectory, Starfield is well on its way to becoming a celestial body in the gaming universe that won’t burn out anytime soon.
With Forza Motorsport coming out next month, Xbox arguably enjoy its most successful two-month span in a long time if not ever.
