Microsoft gambles big on Hollywood-esque 'Starfield' video game

"Starfield", one of the most-anticipated video games in years, launches worldwide on Wednesday with the hype -- and production standards -- of a Hollywood blockbuster.

And Microsoft has billions riding on its success.

The ever-evolving game is the tech giant's bid to lock players into its Xbox subscription service after some eye-poppingly enormous investments in the gaming sector, which is worth $200 billion globally.

A universe-spanning role-playing sci-fi game, "Starfield" is made by US studio Bethesda, which Microsoft bought as part of a $7.5 billion deal in 2020 to boost Xbox's appeal over Sony's PlayStation.

Microsoft is currently trying to get a $75-billion purchase of another studio, Activision Blizzard -- the makers of "Call of Duty" -- past regulators wary of rapid concentration in the sector.

The excitement for "Starfield" has been driven by a high rating of 87 out of 100 on review-aggregator Metacritic, based on early play-throughs by critics as well as strongly positive videos by gamers on YouTube.