Starfield's arrival on PlayStation 5 has failed to move the needle, with estimates showing just 140,000 copies sold in its first week on Sony's console. The lukewarm reception is now forcing Microsoft to reconsider how it handles major franchise releases across platforms.
Rhys Elliott of Alinea Analytics flagged the sales figure as disappointing for Bethesda's flagship RPG, particularly given the game's pedigree. While 140,000 units would satisfy many smaller ports, it underperforms expectations for what is arguably the studio's most significant release in a decade. The real problem, according to Elliott, stems from the timing: Starfield landed on PS5 more than two and a half years after its Xbox and PC debut.
"While these would be decent numbers for many ports, it's not fantastic for a port of the biggest Bethesda RPG in a decade," Elliott said. "Still, Starfield's lukewarm PS5 sales obviously raise questions about the long-term viability of Xbox's delayed multiplatform releases."
The numbers reveal a broader pattern with Microsoft's approach. Even accounting for lower sales when games arrive years late, Starfield underperformed comparable ports. Playground's Forza Horizon 5, which launched on PS5 three and a half years after Xbox, sold 5.7 million copies and generated $320 million in revenue, dwarfing Starfield's PlayStation performance.
Elliott's revenue estimates paint an even grimmer picture. Across all platforms, Starfield has generated roughly $300 million since launch. That figure likely leaves the game barely breaking even when accounting for Bethesda's development costs and the project's decade-long timeline. Elliott suggested the game would have been substantially more profitable had it launched simultaneously on PS5 without Game Pass on other platforms.
The PS5 launch did spark a modest uptick elsewhere. The concurrent release of the Free Lanes update drove an additional 55,000 Steam purchases, worth $2.3 million in revenue. This pushed Starfield's total Steam revenue past $200 million, based on an estimated 3.7 million copies sold on that platform before the DLC arrived.
Xbox sales remain stronger but carry their own complications. The console version sold over 1 million copies despite Game Pass availability, which Elliott notes likely cannibalized potential purchases. Still, Game Pass subscriptions provide revenue that traditional sales figures don't capture.
The timing issue looms largest in Elliott's analysis. By withholding Starfield from PS5, Microsoft may have lost a critical window where the game commanded maximum cultural relevance and player interest. A simultaneous multi-platform launch would have concentrated sales during peak demand rather than fragmenting them across years.
That calculus will soon face a real-world test with Forza Horizon 6. Microsoft is sending the racer to Xbox and PC in May but delaying its PS5 release to later in the year, essentially repeating the Starfield strategy. Whether the company learns from that experience remains unclear.
Elliott also noted an uncomfortable reality: Crimson Desert, released far more recently, is on pace to outsell Starfield's lifetime total by the end of 2026. That game has already moved 5 million copies, highlighting how dramatically player attention has shifted.
Author Emily Chen: "Delaying a marquee release by two and a half years and burying it on Game Pass is a recipe for financial underperformance, and Microsoft's own portfolio is starting to prove it."
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