“I’m not sorry”: Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg responds to Pete Hines and Starfield exclusivity controversy

Bethesda’s senior VP of marketing, Pete Hines, recently ran into hot water when fans misunderstood his message regarding Starfield’s console exclusivity to the Xbox Series X|S.

Bethesda Softworks is known for its massive RPG games set in the world of Elder Scrolls and Fallout. It recently revealed Starfield is its first original IP in over 25 years, which takes the story to the final frontier.

During its original announcement in E3 20118, Starfield was declared for Sony and Microsoft consoles (then PlayStation 4 and Xbox One). However, during its proper reveal at Xbox Bethesda Game Showcase E3 2021, the title was revealed to be exclusive to Microsoft consoles (Xbox Series X|S).

Starfield’s Xbox exclusivity has left fans unhappy

In September 2020, Xbox announced that they’d be acquiring the entire Zenimax Media, the parent company of multiple, well-established, talented studios, including Bethesda Softworks. The deal came to fruition on March 2021, when the studios officially became part of Xbox’s first-party roster.

Xbox and Bethesda held their first joint showcase during E3 2021, where they announced that future Bethesda titles, such as Starfield, will be exclusive to Xbox’s platform and Microsoft windows. This announcement made PlayStation fans understandably unhappy.

Referencing anger from the PlayStation fans, Pete Hines said:

“If you’re a big fan of the stuff we make and a game that we’re making is no longer available on your platform, I totally understand if you’re unhappy or pissed, or whatever. Like, I get it. Those are all real feelings and frustrations.”

He added:

“I’m a PlayStation 5 player as well, and I’ve played games on that console, and there are games I’m going to continue to play on it, but if you want to play Starfield, PC, and Xbox, sorry. All I can really say is ‘I apologize’ because I’m certain that’s frustrating to folks. But there’s not a whole lot I can do about it.”

While Pete Heins apologized for the frustration players were feeling, some fans interpreted it as an apology for being Xbox exclusive.

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Aaron Greenberg responds to Pete Heins’s apology regarding Starfield

Aaron Greenberg, General Manager of Microsoft Studios marketing group and Head of Global Product Marketing for Xbox first-party games, third-party titles, and Xbox Entertainment Studios, joined in with Pete Heins in a Twitter space chat recap of Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase.

During the conversation, Pete Heins referenced how Twitter exploded when he apologized to someone upset. In response, Aaron Greenberg chuckled and said:

“It’s all good. I’m not sorry, I’m not sorry.”

This recent incident has again highlighted the controversial topic of game exclusivity. While exclusive games allow developers to dedicate more time to a single port and refine it, it also leaves some players behind.

However, Xbox’s exclusive games are far more accessible than PlayStations. The former has not only promised to support the PC platform, but Xbox Cloud Gaming is also bringing games to multiple devices, including the older generation of consoles, mobile phones, and even TVs in the future.

Any interested player can join in Xbox Game Pass for $1 (₹50) for three months and play the games, including Starfield, from launch day on the device of choice.