Starfield soars past initial predictions with 6 million players, despite criticism

Contradicting initial projections by Phil Spencer, Starfield has proven to be a formidable hit. Despite talk of barely a million players on Thursday, Xbox's social media presented recalculated numbers on Friday, displaying a much more successful picture. With all the reasons to celebrate worldwide, the creators are undoubtedly overjoyed.

So, how many players does Starfield have? Already, 6 million people have experienced Todd Howard's intergalactic RPG. Bethesda has plenty to brag about as this is the biggest premiere in the company's history, even trumping The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Evidently, investing in new Intellectual Properties (IPs) for years bore fruit.

But it's not just Bethesda's records that Starfield has bested. Forza Horizon 5 commanded 4.5 million players on its premiere day, as reported by Xbox head, Phil Spencer. Already with 6 million players and a weekend ahead, Starfield stands out as one of the best Xbox releases in history. As suggested by industry leaker Okami Games, it might even be the best. Do you reckon Starfield will hit the 10 million mark by Sunday?

Typical with grand game premieres from companies of varied repute, Starfield is taking some hits. The game achieved average review ratings of 87/100 for the PC version, and 86/100 for the console version, on Metacritic. Currently, user scores on the site stand at 5.5/10 and 6.1/10 respectively. However, these scores may not be entirely accurate, as any person can rate a production without proof of owning the game.

The disparity in these ratings can be manipulated by creating multiple accounts and falsifying reviews, sometimes for humor rather than accuracy. More reliable indicators are player reviews on platforms like Steam, where assigning a game to an account is mandatory for providing a rating. Additionally, individual playing times displayed next to each rating provide useful context. So, what do Starfield's ratings on Steam look like? Here's your answer: 81% of over 27 thousand reviews are positive. The difference is quite striking.