Starfield's Premium Edition Upgrade, priced at $35, has taken the top spot on the Xbox Store's Top Paid Games lists in both the US and UK. This upgrade is also ranked number one in numerous other countries, including Australia, Canada, and several European nations.
What sets the Premium Edition Upgrade apart is that it is only available to Xbox Game Pass subscribers. While these subscribers will already receive the standard edition of Starfield as part of their subscription on September 6, they have the option to purchase the Premium Edition Upgrade for additional features.
The fact that the Premium Edition Upgrade is selling exceptionally well suggests that a significant number of Xbox Game Pass subscribers are willing to pay the extra cost for the premium features. These features include a story expansion and early access to the game starting from September 1.
This trend is not limited to the Xbox Store alone. The physical version of the Premium Edition Upgrade, which contains a download code, entered the UK charts at number seven. Furthermore, Starfield has seen strong activity on Steam, with over 230,000 concurrent players within the first two hours of its early access period.
Despite being in the early access phase, its player count has remained consistently high, with a 24-hour peak of over 245,000 concurrent players on Steam. This indicates that players are opting to purchase the Premium Edition on Steam instead of waiting for the game to arrive on PC Game Pass.
Starfield has received positive critical reception, with Metacritic scores of 87 and 88 for the Xbox Series X|S and PC versions, respectively. VGC's Starfield review describes it as the “ultimate Bethesda game,” combining elements loved from Fallout and Skyrim and introducing them in a vast galactic setting.
Sources:
– Video Games Chronicle: [link]
– GamesIndustry.biz: [link]
– Metacritic: [link]