Phil Spencer is the head of Xbox and Microsoft Gaming. During the gamescom 2023, he talked about Starfield and the playtime he has already invested in the upcoming sci-fi RPG.
What does the Xbox boss say? In an interview with the online magazine IGN, Spencer revealed that he believes he is currently on his 15th playthrough of Starfield and has probably spent around 200 hours in the RPG.
However, these play hours are not in a single playthrough, as save formats and similar aspects are changed during ongoing development. Therefore, Spencer likely started over several times. In his current playthrough, he is playing a “total space pirate”.
In conclusion, Spencer added that he thinks Starfield is more like “The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion” than its successor “The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim”:
I believe I am on my 15th playthrough. I’ve probably spent 200 hours in the game, but not in one run, because ‘I’m starting over, we’re changing the save format blah blah blah’, and so on. So I started in November, but I think I’m currently doing my last run with a character – a total space pirate. I’m a total space pirate.
I think it’s more Oblivion than Skyrim – people who have played it might understand that. It’s an epic, epic game.
Phil Spencer via Twitter
What are the differences between Skyrim and Oblivion? Skyrim is the direct successor to Oblivion, and although both games are loved by many fans, there are indeed some aspects that differ for players. As early as 10 years ago, there was a thread on Reddit.
We summarize some of the mentioned differences:
- the story and atmosphere feel “more complete” compared to Oblivion
- The faction quests in Skyrim were linear and somewhat short
- Generally, quests in Oblivion are “much more imaginative and entertaining”
- However, Skyrim wins significantly in terms of graphics and gameplay, especially in the combat system, where the fifth part of the series impressed
Whether Xbox chief Phil Spencer meant to point out any of these issues when he made the comparison, we cannot say. However, it could mean that Starfield will particularly stand out due to its quests and the game’s story.
In July 2023, well over two months before the release of Starfield, some genre fans discussed whether Starfield could be better than The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. This shows the high expectations the space RPG raises, considering that Skyrim still ranks as one of the best RPGs of all time almost 12 years after its release:
Fans discuss whether Starfield can surpass one of the best RPGs of all time: “It will blow me away”
