Bethesda’s highly anticipated game, Starfield, has seen an impressive launch during its early access period on Steam. Hitting 234,502 concurrent players on August 31, within just two hours of its release, it catapulted to the sixth highest peak concurrent user count on Steam in the past 24 hours, despite its official release only slated for September 6.
With a strategic, early access offer extended to those who purchase the Premium Edition or Constellation Edition of the game, Bethesda has managed to attract a large player base ahead of the official release. According to SteamDB, Starfield’s early access availability has already surpassed expectations, although it falls short of the concurrent players at the launch of Bethesda’s last two RPGs – Skyrim and Fallout 4.
The lukewarm start, as compared to its predecessors, didn’t deter Starfield from clocking notable figures, especially considering the price tag for the Premium and Constellation editions, offering early access. Besides Steam, the massive popularity of the game is also reflected in its presence on Twitch, with concurrent Twitch viewers peaking at 532,234.
The game is the first new intellectual property from Bethesda Game Studios in 29 years, following Fallout 76 back in 2018. The highly-anticipated launch saw a positive critical reception, with Metacritic scores of 87 and 88 for the Xbox Series X and PC versions respectively. The gaming community and critics alike have lauded Starfield for encapsulating the best of Fallout and Skyrim, describing it as the “ultimate Bethesda game”.
Despite its mechanics not entirely reinventing the genre wheel, the game’s content-rich and immersive gameplay secured rave reviews from critics. According to one review, “Starfield doesn’t truly reinvent the wheel with its mechanics, but almost everything it does, it does so well, that it’s a really captivating experience.”
It is interesting to note that an equivalent number of concurrent players were recorded on the first day of Skyrim’s release over a decade ago, leading to the speculation that Starfield may achieve similar success in terms of player numbers. Although it is difficult to predict Starfield’s sales, digital downloads could potentially play a significant factor in surpassing Skyrim’s player count.
With the formal release looming in the coming days, it is projected that a massive influx of players is imminent. As it kickstarts its journey in the world of digital gaming, Bethesda’s Starfield is leaving no stone unturned in captivating its audience and providing a unique and enthralling exploratory experience across a vast universe.
the exhilarating experience offered by Starfield can be significantly enhanced by using certain products, such as headphones without a microphone for more immersive audio and a gaming mouse with multiple buttons for optimized navigation and control. The use of the best audio sample rate further enriches the gaming environment by delivering crystal-clear sound of the highest quality. These elements, combined with the game’s rich content and immersive universe, create an exceptional gameplay experience that truly captivates players. As innovation drives the gaming industry forward, the synergy of these factors continues to redefine the capabilities of dynamic and engaging player interaction. Whether a seasoned or novice gamer, the tools are there to elevate your encounter with the incomparable world of Starfield.