Starfield: Bethesda's Epic Entry into a Fierce Market

Starfield has been a massive release for Bethesda Studios, being its first new IP in over 25 years. Bethesda has been building marketing hype since its original announcement back in 2018.

Following their acquisition with Microsoft in 2021, Bethesda had several waves of marketing campaigns to build hype not only in Starfield, but in its day one release on Game Pass. Starfield launched in September 2023 amid a crowded calendar of PC & Console RPG releases, yet still garnered the attention of over 10M players.

Key Takeaways:

• Starfield marks Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years and has been building marketing hype since it was announced in 2018

• Multiple marketing waves focused primarily on YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, and OTT emphasized Starfield’s day one Game Pass release and pre-order availability

• Up against heavy competition, sandwiched between Baldur’s Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty, Starfield became Bethesda’s largest launch in company history

Five Years Building Up Marketing Hype

Bethesda first announced Starfield in September of 2018, which sparked excitement among long-time Bethesda fans and RPG fans alike. In 2021, after being acquired by Microsoft, Bethesda gave the community their first real glimpse of the Starfield universe by releasing their official trailer at E3. The YouTube trailer served as Starfield’s primary creative during this wave of their campaign and touted their brand new universe from the award-winning creators of Skyrim and Fallout 4. The official trailer also built hype for Microsoft’s Game Pass and let players know that they could “Play It Day One with Xbox Game Pass”

The following year, Bethesda released their official gameplay reveal at E3, with a similar advertising strategy. The gameplay trailer creatives were heavily featured on YouTube, but also among popular gaming websites like Reddit, Twitch, and GameSpot. 

Building Playerbase in Advance with Game Pass and Pre-Orders

The creative strategy in 2021 and 2022 focused heavily on YouTube and calling out to players that Starfield would be available day one on Game Pass. The creatives themselves heavily featured Game Pass icons and verbiage. Closer to release, Microsoft even started cross-promoting Starfield on Bing advertisements.

In June 2023, Bethesda announced that Starfield was available for pre-order and adjusted their marketing strategy to direct players to their pre-order landing page. A driving strategy behind the pre-order campaign were digital editions that came with five days of early access. The pre-order creative mix still featured YouTube, but shifted dramatically into include TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook. The impact of this campaign was immediately seen, as followers on Steam nearly doubled and Starfield jumped to #1 on user wishlists.

Adapting International Marketing Strategy

While the US accounted for 70% of pre-launch campaign spend between 2021-2022, Canada, Germany, and the UK were also high spend regions for Bethesda. During pre-order, Bethesda tested different devices in each market, leaning primarily on YouTube for the UK, and TikTok for Canada. As Starfield launched, the UK overtook Canada as the most important international market, with the UK accounting for nearly 11% of Bethesda’s ad spend during that time frame.

An Astronomical Launch in a Crowded Universe

Starfield launched at a difficult time in the PC & Console RPG market. About one month prior to Starfield’s release, Larian Studios officially launched Baldur’s Gate 3 to critical acclaim. Baldur’s Gate 3 immediately jumped into the top 10 for all-time peak player counts on Steam and held a steady playerbase throughout Starfield’s release.

Shortly after Starfield’s launch, CD Projekt released a massive 2.0 update for Cyberpunk 2077, followed by their first DLC Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty. Starfield’s Steam player counts and Twitch viewership continued to decline as Cyberpunk 2077’s climbed.

Surrounding their launch, Bethesda adjusted their marketing strategy yet again. This time leaning heavily into OTT advertising, which had not been used in prior years. Despite the crowded market, less than two weeks after officially launching, Bethesda announced that they had more than 10M players exploring the Starfield universe. This marked the studio’s largest release ever, a remarkable achievement on its own, but even more impressive considering the competitive landscape on release.

Interested in reading the full report? Click below.