Starfield's 1,000,000 concurrent players shows the immense potential of Xbox Game Pass to attract gamers

Starfield has been out on the Xbox Game Pass for about 24 hours. PC and console users from all over the world are enjoying Bethesda's latest IP. Once the game becomes available on the subscription model, it could get many more players. This is likely to be the case if one analyzes a tweet posted by Phil Spencer on September 7. At the time of posting, over one million concurrent players played the title across all platforms.

This is a massive number, irrespective of the scale and production value of Starfield. It's true that Bethesda is one of the biggest names in gaming, with IPs like The Elder Scrolls, Doom, and Fallout, among others. The studio has shaped genres like RPG and FPS over the last three decades. The love shown towards the space adventure is not unexpected.

However, this also shows the huge potential that the Xbox Game Pass carries for AAA and indie developers alike.

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Starfield's hype has resulted in plenty of additional Xbox Game Pass subscribers

It's often said that Xbox's subscription service is counterproductive to game developers. It incentivizes players to pay only part of the price for a title and a fraction to play.

However, this myth was debunked in the first couple of days of September, when over 230,000 concurrent players played Starfield on PC. This number doesn't include anyone who might have been playing on the Xbox app. It considers those who were playing on their next-gen consoles.

Additionally, only those who had opted to pay more for the premium edition of the title could play it between September 1 and September 5.

There needs to be a rational sense to start playing Starfield early, as it's not a live-service release. One can begin their journeys on September 6 and get the same enjoyment. It made even more sense to do so, as the Xbox Game Pass service costs a mere fraction of the full price of the game. Yet, so many chose to jump in at the earliest possible opportunity, ignoring the strain on their wallets.

However, one major news might have escaped the eyes of many. Based on reports from Reddit, the popular space-themed RPG got cracked on the very first day of early access. In other words, anyone with a functioning internet and a good gaming PC could download and play it for free (although it's illegal, and Sportskeeda doesn't endorse doing so).

Having said that, those player numbers won't be registered at Xbox, and the figures that Phil Spencer mentioned are from legitimate sources. Of course, the actual number of people buying the game will certainly be more than those who played it during early access (via the Premium Edition). Moreover, Spencer's tweet includes console users, which doesn't have a public tracker like Steam.

One million, from any point of view and for any video game, is a massive number, especially considering the fact that PC players could access a crack. Moreover, playing illicitly won't matter as the title has no online aspect. Yet, the gaming community has shown its love for the RPG and all its content.

The huge number also bodes very well for Xbox's ambitions and its plans for Game Pass. Microsoft's gaming division has been ambitious with its expansion plans for the subscription service. There's a high chance that many players have taken subscriptions purely for playing Starfield. However, many of them might drop out once they're done with the campaign.

Yet, the RPG has plenty of replayability, aside from the fact that completing even the main campaign can take a lot of time. Then comes New Game+, which has been lauded by those who have managed to reach it.

Xbox Game Pass has plenty of exciting titles, and many new ones, like Forza Motorsport, Lies of P, and Persona Tactics, are coming soon. Many gamers could choose to retain the services of Game Pass to try out some of them.

Starfield will have succeeded irrespective of its entry on Xbox Game Pass. However, the entry makes the game more accessible to players, who won't resort to piracy even with tight budgets. It also opens the Game Pass to a new part of the community, which could bring in more business for Microsoft in the form of additional subscribers.