Earlier today, Bethesda director Todd Howard praised the beauty of focusing development on fewer platforms, saying that developers "can learn a lot to make the best (games) on those systems." He is, of course, referring to Bethesda's big sci-fi RPG Starfield, which was announced in 2018 but not really revealed until last week's Xbox E3 showcase, when it was also confirmed as an Xbox (and PC) exclusive.

In a separate interview with GameSpot, Pete Hines, Bethesda's senior vice president of marketing and communications, expressed very similar sentiments, saying that reducing the number of platforms a team works on makes for more "streamlined" development He states.

"You don't have to worry about "how it works on this box or that box."

says Hines. "We're not building on that box, so as long as it works as well as possible on this box and [on the PC], that's all that matters. Focus always helps."

That goes both ways: Hines says the same can be said for Deathloop, the Swinging Sixties time-loop shooter that Arkane plans to release exclusively for PlayStation 5 and PC.

At the same time, Hines acknowledged that what may be good for game makers could be bad for platform owners. 'I understand your frustration and your anger. I understand. Those are all real emotions and frustrations. I have no idea how to deal with that. I'm not going to say, 'This will make you feel better, this will make you feel better.'"

"I don't know how to allay the fears and concerns of PlayStation 5 fans other than to say, 'I'm a PlayStation 5 player too, I've played games on that console, and I have games I will continue to play. But if you want to play 'Starfield,' it's PC and Xbox. I am sorry. I'm really sorry, that's all I can say."

Starfield will be available on PC and Xbox Series X/S on November 11, 2022, with Xbox Game Pass available on launch day. Hines' full interview with GameSpot is below.