Developer Bethesda Game Studios is known for releasing big, sprawling games that have bugs. Some people believe the bugs are part of the charm. The next title from BGS, Starfield, will probably have bugs, too, but maybe not as many as past titles have had when they released, according to Xbox Games Studios boss Matt Booty.

Booty told GameSpot sister site Giant Bomb, "I see bug counts and just by the numbers if it shipped today, Starfield would already have the fewest bugs of any Bethesda game ever shipped" (via VGC).

Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said BGS as a studio has "matured" over the years. When Microsoft's acquisition of Bethesda parent company ZeniMax closed, the target release date for Starfield was "significantly earlier," Spencer said.

After the deal closed, Spencer said he sat down with Starfield director Todd Howard to tell him and his team that they would have more time to finish the game and get it ready for launch. This extended development time has seemingly contributed to how Starfield might be less buggy at launch than past BGS titles.

Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty says if Starfield shipped today it'd have the fewest bugs of any Bethesda game that's ever shipped pic.twitter.com/nLRQfan1py
— Giant Bomb is at Summer Games Fest (@giantbomb) June 12, 2023

Starfield releases on September 6 for Xbox Series X|S and PC, as well as Xbox One via streaming. It's included on Xbox Game Pass as a day-one new release. You can play five days earlier by purchasing the $100 or $300 premium editions, or buying an upgrade for $35.

In case you missed the Starfield Direct on June 11, plenty of new details on the game were shared, including PC specs, why the game is so massive, and how space combat works. Additionally, Starfield preorders are already steeply discounted, so if you're planning to buy the game, now might be a good time to lock in your order.