In yet another feather in the cap of “Game Pass doesn’t hurt game sales”, Bethesda’s Starfield managed to grab the top spot on the Circana (formerly NPD) charts last month. It surely dealt a “fatal blow” to Mortal Kombat 1, who came in second. Keep in mind that with this game debuting day one on Game Pass, those gamers, including myself, aren’t even being counted.
Now, sure, we can say that Starfield came out nearly two weeks before Mortal Kombat 1 (September 6 versus September 19), Starfield only came out on Xbox Series X|S and PC while Mortal Kombat 1 released on PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch (why?). Also, remember that Game Pass isn’t a part of those numbers.
However, Starfield does have some more hills to climb if it wants to be the highest selling game of 2023. While it is sitting at #7 on the year-to-date list, Hogwarts Legacy is still leading the pack, followed by Tears of the Kingdom and Madden NFL 24.
Source: IGN
