Microsoft gambles big on Hollywood-esque ‘Starfield’ video game

"Starfield", one of the most-anticipated video games in years, launches worldwide on Wednesday with the hype -- and production standards -- of a Hollywood blockbuster. A universe-spanning role-playing sci-fi game, "Starfield" is made by US studio Bethesda, which Microsoft bought as part of a $7.5 billion deal in 2020 to boost Xbox's appeal over Sony's PlayStation. Those qualities mean they are essentially "interactive movies", said Simon Little, head of Video Games Europe, an umbrella organisation representing European games developers. Other titles this year boasting those same Hollywood-esque qualities include "Hogwarts Legacy", which taps into the Harry Potter universe and is made by Avalanche Software, a game developer owned by Warner Bros. Another is "Baldur's Gate 3", a role-playing game made by Belgium-based Larian Studios that ranks a near-perfect 96 on Metacritic after coming out last month for PCs. The strategy is to keep players paying monthly for massive online games such as "Starfield", which can be constantly added to, with new storylines injected into them for years or decades to come.