Starfield Surpasses Skyrim's Steam Concurrency Peak; Mod Tools Coming in 2024

Starfield has surpassed Skyrim's Steam concurrency peak, entering the all-time Top 30. Meanwhile, Bethesda said the toolkit is coming in 2024.

[Petebloodyonion]

It can't be true!
I always thought that ppl don't buy games if available on GamePass.
Probably a Steam glitch creating ppl who don't exist.

[SPEAKxTHExTRUTH]

Oh just wait a little bit. The Sony Defense Force will find a why to flip it soon enough…

[EvertonFC]

Coming from you who's "the Xbox defense force" pmsl 😂🤣
Way to go at making yourself look a t*t.

[FGHFGHFGH]

Maybe a lot of PC players don't use gamepass?

[Crows90]

Its common sense but that's not very common.
Steam users stick to steam.

[Amplitude]

PC Player here. I buy my games even if they're on GamePass. Even if i know i'll beat the game in a day or two and never touch it again and could easily just pay for one month of Gamepass, I'll still spend way more money for the single game on Steam lmao

I think a lot of people do the same either because (a) they know the XBox App is somehow even more awful than the Epic Games Store or (b) subscription services with lack of any mod-ability make them want to puke and they don't want to support the death of gaming and/or gaming preservation. Or hell, the ridiculous amount of features alone make Steam worth the price tbh. Big picture mode, chat, achievements, play time tracking, trading cards, cloud saves, Steam deck support, the absurdly good customer-first refund policy, etc etc etc. You just kinda feel good for supporting Valve's efforts and the developers when you buy on Steam and that's worth the price imo.

Every once in a while i do get a month of Gamepass and every single time i'm just blown away at how horrible and laughable the app is. It's like they purposely made it as awful as they could so you go buy an XBox lol

Cant say i care in the slightest about Starfield but i'm glad people are enjoying it and no matter what you think of the game, i hope people are happy about people supporting it instead of subbing to money-hungry corporate heartless subscriptions either way here

[Yui_Suzumiya]

For regular games I use Steam but for naughty naughty visual novels I use Jastusa, Denpasoft or MangaGamer.. lol .. plus my laptop uses a Intel Iris Xe GPU so I have virtually no VRAM .. so unfortunately I can't run Starfield, lol .. most of the normal games I have are PS3 / early PS4 era.. or boomer shooters, lol

[mrcatastropheAF]

@amplitude can't speak for any of the other games but I had no issues modding the gamepass version of Starfield on my PC.

Installed the DLSS mod and a couple of others with no problem.

I agree with your overall sentiment though -- PC players by and large would rather just utilize steam instead of GP

[Einhander1972]

I mean, great, they beat the concurrent users of a PS3 era game, that's not that impressive if you factor in the growth of the industry. And Microsoft stated goal for buying these publishers was supposed to be growing Gamepass not selling copies on steam.

I mean the other day they were bragging about 6 million USERS, if they had released the game on PlayStation they almost certainly could have gotten 6 million SALES. And 6 millions users seems really low when you consider they supposedly have 25 million subscribers. This whole thing doesn't speak very well to the growth potential of gamepass by buying publishers.

You guys are bragging about Microsoft propaganda without even analyzing the larger picture.

The bottom line here is this game needs to make a lot of money to pay for it's development and I don't see that playing out well after looking at the numbers.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Lol. Somehow, saying "gamers don't buy games on Xbox." Got turned into, "gamers don't buy games on Steam."

We know gamers buy games on Steam. But since Microsoft has turned tail and run and doesn't announce game sales numbers and console numbers, and the fact that the numbers that are reported show that PlayStation takes almost the whole sum on NPD, etc, and the fact that Microsoft uses player numbers instead of sales numbers, would obviously lead us into saying,

"Xbox gamers don't buy games."

[Petebloodyonion]

@Einhander1972
I'm honestly wondering if you are serious or sarcastic due to how you couldn't be more wrong :)
You are talking about a game that is currently in the top 30 most concurrent players of ALL TIME on Steam and it's not impressive?
A list that includes free-to-play like Counter-Strike, Dota2, Capcom Arcade, Team fortress2,Lost Ark and multiplayers like COD, GTA5, Among us, PubG
And as pointed out earlier, a game is also available on Game Pass PC.

@Shadows
Wait!!! Are you saying that Gamepass (PC and console) is not cannibalizing sales on STEAM?
Cause I'm pretty sure that " from Microsoft's own mouth: "GAME PASS CANNIBALIZES GAME SALES." has been part of your mantra for the last 4 months in any article relating to game pass.
https://n4g.com/news/255562...
(I just went to page 10 and picked in the top comments).

But perhaps you could explain how that magic works?
PPL who own both a PC /Xbox suddenly forgot about Game Pass?
Steam users are dumb ppl who never heard of Game Pass PC?

[thesoftware730]

And there goes the flip...lol.

[thesoftware730]

Haha, you completely owned Shadow and Einhinder...

But they will find a way to back track and goal post.

SF is a massive game in every sense of the word, it has people modding PS5, that is how popular it is.

Hideo Kojima, Jaffe, the PS writer lady, everyone is playing the game..I'm not sure why it's hard for them to accept the initial success of this game.

[Sephiroushin]

he didn't own anybody, he doesn't understand pc gamers dislike xbox platform and love to stick to steam, its as simple as that, and most of us like to own their games not rent them, and if they did that it's because theyre not interested in the game at all, so just 10.99$ for a playthrough and throwing it at a side!
If starfield didn't release on steam this story would be different, many would do like me and forget that starfield existed, even MS know this else they would keep the game locked on the xbox platform!

[tay8701]

Day 1 gamepass does cannibalize sales, MS stated as much in court. MS hasnt released sales numbers in yrs, and that probably won't change anytime soon. Starfield has been hyped as the biggest xbox game of all time. even with all its marketing it won't even come close to Spiderman 2s sales numbers when it releases in October. Until MS comes out and gives actual sales numbers instead of simply thr number of people who have played it, we will never know how many copies it has sold.

[Petebloodyonion]

Again,
this game is currently among the top 30 games of ALL TIME on STEAM for concurring players and it's been out a 2 weeks.
Now we do not need to bring PlayStation sales or Xbox console sales of the game to evaluate this
We just need to evaluate versus other Steam games because the only way a player counts is if he buys the game.
And right now at 70$, SF is already in an elite tier list that includes free-to-play games and games like COD
despite PC players could play it on Game Pass PC.

[tagzskie]

@petebloodyonion you never know the feelings of the people always using steam.. Even epic games give free games i mean really FREE no strings attach FREE. Most of us didnt go there or some of my friends who bother to get it, just logging in ang get the games amd leave it there. Maybe the people who said ppl dont buy games they reffering to xbox? i dont know but sales is sales not concurrent etc, though theres high possibilty that its sale is higher than skyrim. Simple

[Petebloodyonion]

LOL, funny cause I'm a PC user 1st and have been a Steam user since day 1 (Look me up PeteBloodyOnion) and still buy all my games on Steam simply because, unlike MS and Sony, Steam never charged me for a Patch when I upgraded Windows platform or told me to buy a remastered version If I wanted to play at a higher resolution. Also, my library is also playable on Mac and Linux.
I do have Game Pass on PC and use it often.

As for referring to the Xbox console only why would the consumer's behavior change so much versus PC, especially when physical copies do exist versus PC?

And last but not least the only way to count as a player on Steam is if you OWN a copy of the game (excluding ppl who would buy, try and ask for a refund).

[tagzskie]

@peterbloodyonion yeah its funny cause ms pc doesnt charge you, only xbox. i didnt claim your not pc user though. I only said always using steam. i almost use it daily more than insta, messenger, and line. Its ok to explain concurrent but i still believe its just a situational especially no new games released that month or lacking of games. What were talking about is sales not concurrent. as i said is simple if the sale is higher than skyrim its not effected by gamepass if not theres nothing we can do about it.

[ApocalypseShadow]

Game pass CANNIBALIZES sales on Xbox. I thought you knew. Now you want to act like Steam users are Xbox or Microsoft users. Lol

The spinning and the twisting. How many copies did it sell on Xbox?

[Petebloodyonion]

Where did you get that info that Game Pass only cannibalizes sales on Xbox?
Was this alluded to in MS's testimony?

And no I'm not trying to act like Steam users are the same as Xbox since it's your department to always relate every article to Playstation vs. Xbox.
proof? You're asking to provide Xbox sales data for a game released 2 weeks ago in a PC article.

Last I checked Steam was for PC users just like Gamepass PC users and not once did I mention Xbox in my original comment.

[Soileh]

Steam has I think doubled or tripled in size since FO4 launched and this hasn't even surpassed Fallout 4 CCUs. It's a pretty decent underperformance whether you like the game or not. 75% of the users aren't on Steam either, so there is no way to know if they're using Game Pass or not since MS doesn't release sales numbers.

[EvertonFC]

People mentioned Xbox gamers would generally not buy games because of GP not steam, just pointing that out.

[Petebloodyonion]

And where did I mention XBOX in my original comment?
And I'm pretty sure that the narrative up until yesterday (I'll bring the revision log)
V1 - Gamepass is cannibalizing sales
V2 - Gamepass is cannibalizing sales of NEW release games
V3 - Gamepass is cannibalizing sales of AAA New release games

So let me update it now to V4: Gamepass is mostly only cannibalizing sales of AAA new release games on Xbox console.

[Sephiroushin]

Steam, most PC gamers love steam and dislike other platforms, so they stick to steam, but not their own xbox platform for pc at all, most PC gamers don't even have gamepass, on xbox console hmmm not as much, but i guess many paid the 30$ for upgrading to get early access.

I'm a PC gamer, I have gamepass for like almost 3 years until it desubs, and to me its just a tester, if i like something i go steam and get it, never ever on xbox platform for PC, that's the worst store launcher PC currently has, weird coming from a software company but it is what it is!

[I_am_Batman]

When comparing Starfield's peak concurrent players to other big RPG titles that released more recently it's hard to get around the fact that Game Pass has almost certainly had a negative effect on steam sales.

CyberPunk 2077 - 1.05M
Elden Ring - 953k
Hogwarts Legacy - 879k
Baldur's Gate 3 - 875k
...
Starfield - 330k

Personally I would expect a new AAA IP from Bethesda to be more competative with those titles if day-1 Game Pass inclusion wasn't a factor. I think it's also safe to say that the impact on sales would be larger on Xbox than it is on PC.

It would be interesting to see the impact on new subscriptions to Game Pass and whether these subs will stay around for more than a month or two. Unfortunately we're unlikely to get the full picture, including sales numbers on all platforms.

[Petebloodyonion]

You are talking about a game released 2 weeks ago...
Baldur's Gate 3 has been around since 2020 on Steam, Cyberpunk has been given for 20$...

[I_am_Batman]

@Petebloodyonion: I don't see how that's relevant considering the peak concurrent player-count was reached on release week for all of the games I've listed. That's generally what happens with single-player games.

[Petebloodyonion]

@ Lots Bellow
I have read several of your comments regarding Steam user loyalty and I would take a moment to celebrate that important milestone that WE PC users have accomplished.
Yes, we who used to be called pirates on this site and the why no games companies would have bothered giving us game day 1 are now role models for the industry.
Sure this was hard for we had to overcome the urge to save money on gray market stores, 2nd key reseller sites.

So today again we celebrate how we PC users are showing console players how we now BUY day 1 games at full price and shun perfectly legally marketed options like playing the game on a subscription service.

[Markusb33]

wonder if it will sell 15 million like fallout 4 ? probably not since its in a service

[tbagmonster]

which they win either way, im sure many people signed up for gamepass as a cheaper alternative. Thats the goal

[Crows90]

Yes. I used 7k points to get 1 month of Gamepass for PC. Definitely a cheaper alternative. Many are still unaware of how easy it is to get Gamepass for free on PC.

[Sonic1881]

They'll probably use Gamepass on PC for a month for$10.99 just to play Starfield and probably end their subscription after they beat it.

[PhillyDonJawn]

Lol even Crows is supporting MS

[Sciurus_vulgaris]

Starfield is only on 2 platforms instead of Fallout 4’s 3. It will be interesting how Gamepass and Xbox console exclusivity affects Starfield’s sales. Starfield PC sengagement and sales could be stronger than Fallout 4’s, due to more quickly implemented mod support.

[Profchaos]

I feel like most PS players will just play it on PC worst case stream it the ones that actually play games rather than complain online about it.

I've been doing both stream to my Xbox one when on the couch and play on my Xbox 2070 aka PC when I can be bothered sitting at a desk. My main gripe is my Xbox 1 is a launch model so I get no hdr which makes the game look quite bland.

Mod support hasn't really driven my interest I just liked the fallout games and this has some strong similarities I think that will be a common theme.

[SyntheticForm]

Having a blast with this game. It's got that pull. I've put so many hours in with plenty more on the way.

[OMNlPOTENT]

I'm glad to see some positivity on here about the game, I think it's great!

[PhillyDonJawn]

The mods gonna go crazy in this game.

[Father__Merrin]

There's 330k players on steam

[anast]

330k confirmed buyers out of the 6 million claimed..

[Crows90]

Now they gotta tell us how many are playing on Gamepass.

After that then we would add the remaining to the steam numbers and we will get sales numbers.

However, they're not wanting to say anything detailed and are instead being vague.

[tbagmonster]

because your playing sales? stop being a douche as if the sales numbers somehow affect everyone now.

[SyntheticForm]

You guys got some screws loose; need tightening.

[Sonic1881]

Exactly

[tbagmonster]

because anyone cares what you think about how many games where sold, douche

[anast]

"You guys got some screws loose; need tightening."

If this is a competitive jab, then I get it. It's not very successful, but fun nonetheless. If this is a serious statement then I think you probably should not be worried about peoples loose screws.

[TheColbertinator]

Hurry with the mods!

[Profchaos]

Remembering when Skyrim launched I remember playing it on disc but I swear it needed steam at the time.

Does anyone else remember the PC launch?

[343_Guilty_Spark]

PS users really blowing up the game charts to play Starfield on their PCs. Impressive!!!

PS5/PC all you need

[thesoftware730]

I know right MS eating right now! Steam and Windows both, and any new GP subs plus whatever sales they got on console...all good for them right!!! Impressive move..no matter where someone plays SF MS makes good.

Sony is smart as well to finally start bringing games to PC and stop leaving money on the table.

Glad you finally seeing the plan and liking it.

[StarkR3ality]

Genuinely can't believe how much Sony fanboys are losing their minds over this? Is it a surprise that it's selling well? Bethesda make some of the best selling RPG series ever. Say what you want about the quality of the game itself, but it was always going to fly off the shelves. That's not including the people who bought early access through game pass, and new game pass subscribers either.

PC player here and the reason why most of us won't get the game on game pass is mod compatibility, it just isn't there via the Xbox app, so therefore it's always better to get games that you would like to mod through steam anyway.

I've spent about 80 hours playing this, completed it, and now I'm moving back to Baldurs gate 3 to finish that, and yet while I've finished with the game, you guys are still sat in the comment crying about it. Genuinely feel sorry for you all

[EasilyTheBest]

The Salt is insane. The downplaying is insane. The goalpost shifting is insane.
The game is doing brilliantly. Microsoft & Bethesda has a hit on their hands. It's all over the Internet. It's only going to get better. Amazing game that gets better & better.

[Vits]

Welcome to N4G. That is the sort of community that is fostered and incentivized here. Some thought it could become a better place after it was bought by BGFG, but it stayed mostly the same as it kept the same old and ridiculous structure.

But either way, it's no surprise the game is doing exceptionally well. Bethesda titles always do, because they might not be the most polished or complex thing ever. They always strike that balance of just having enough to keep it fun and interesting as you go along.