Unlock the Mysteries of the Universe: 75% of Starfield Xbox Players Have Embarked on Epic Stellar Adventures!

Starfield, Bethesda's newest IP after a 25-year hiatus, is a sprawling game with a myriad of activities to offer. With over 1,000 planets to explore, intense spaceship battles to engage in (or run away from), the ability to build multiple outposts, mine valuable resources, encounter various alien species (friendly or hostile), romance four companion characters, engage in endless gear stealing, selling, and modification, and many other intricate features like ship-building and ship-stealing, Starfield promises an immersive experience. The game had a highly successful launch, with over 1 million players simultaneously exploring the game on launch day, surpassing Skyrim's concurrent player record on Steam and reaping substantial financial gains for Bethesda. However, it is surprising to learn that over a quarter of Xbox players have failed to embark on their spacefaring journey.

The initial achievement in Starfield, titled "For All, Into The Starfield," is relatively straightforward to obtain. Merely venturing into space for the first time earns players this achievement. Given the game's focus on space exploration, one would expect most players to have accomplished this milestone by now. However, only 75% of Xbox players have unlocked the "For All, Into The Starfield" achievement, leaving a quarter of players yet to embark on their voyage into the unknown reaches of the Frontier.

Starfield's opening scenes occur on the planet Vectera in the Narion system, where players engage in resource-mining and stumble upon an unexpected interstellar surprise. They then proceed to character creation and have a brief encounter with their first romanceable companion, Barrett. Following a tutorial-like firefight, players are granted access to Barrett's ship, the Frontier, and are instructed to travel to Constellation Headquarters in New Atlantis, located in the Alpha Centauri region. The achievement "For All, Into The Starfield" unlocks upon launching into space. However, a significant number of players lack this achievement, prompting the question of what they are doing in Starfield if not exploring the stars. The answer is quite simple. With Starfield being available for free on Game Pass, approximately 30 million players have access to it. As not all players are fans of sci-fi, space-themed games, or Bethesda games in general, it is likely that many Game Pass subscribers merely tried Starfield out of curiosity before determining it wasn't their cup of tea. On Steam, where players have to purchase the game, the percentage of players who have earned the first achievement is significantly higher at 88%. Furthermore, there have been reports of bugged achievements on Xbox, which may explain why only 75% of Xbox players have unlocked the first achievement. Given the brevity of the game's introduction on Vectera, it is unlikely that a quarter of the Xbox playerbase abruptly quit the game after character creation. Consequently, the question remains: What exactly are these players doing if they aren't exploring the stars?

Starfield is an expansive game, although not perfect. While following the waypoints allows for story progress, there is much more to discover for players who prefer exploring off the beaten path. Some players may not have earned the game's first achievement because they are too busy exploring the ground instead of the stars. Even seemingly small planets have hidden surprises, such as resources to mine, flora and fauna to scan, enemy outposts to find, and side quests to embark on. It is possible for players to spend hours wandering the surface of a random planet. Some players may have intentionally chosen to delay exploring Barrett's ship and other locations, opting to see what else Vectera has to offer. Despite being the "starter planet," Vectera offers plenty to explore. As it is a mining outpost, there are valuable ores and various side quests and story missions that require returning to Vectera. Fully exploring a single planet can take a significant amount of time due to the game's massive scope. Some players may find more enjoyment in the freedom of exploration rather than the story or may want to collect resources for future outpost-building. Completing the game's first achievement is not the only imbalance in completion statistics. For example, only 56% of Xbox players have joined Constellation, and just 46% have reached level 5 through grinding.

A quarter of Xbox players not achieving liftoff shouldn't be seen as negative. On the contrary, it could be seen as a testament to Bethesda's attention to detail and effort in creating the game. The fact that players are choosing to explore the game's opening locale rather than grabbing a free spaceship shows that Bethesda has successfully delivered on their promise of creating a captivating world similar to "Skyrim in space." This also highlights the game's versatility, catering to different play styles and preferences. Whether players want to engage in companionship, battle space pirates, design unique spaceships, or simply explore, Starfield allows for diverse gameplay experiences. The game's beauty lies in the absence of a "wrong" way to play it. Therefore, the 25% of players who haven't achieved a major milestone aren't necessarily giving up on the game; they may just have a different approach or be affected by grav-jumping sensations.