Since Xbox Game Studios acquired Bethesda in a blockbuster deal back in March 2021, fans have been waiting to see what comes next from the studio that helped give us Fallout 76, The Elder Scrolls, and Deathloop. Starfield is one of the most exciting games currently in the pipeline. Having first been announced back in 2018, we've been waiting a long time for more information to emerge. Now, finally, some details are beginning to appear, although they still remain thin on the ground. We've rounded everything up so you can stay fully up to date with everything we know.
Starfield Release Date
Starfield is currently pencilled in for release on November 11th 2022. While this is a date that has been widely circulated, it is possible that things will change as we get closer. With games growing ever more complex and difficult to make, it wouldn't be a total surprise if this date gets moved. But for now, this is certainly the date Bethesda is aiming for.
The game will be available on Xbox and PC. It will also be available from day one via Xbox Game Pass. If you're a PlayStation user, prepare to be disappointed. Now that Microsoft owns the keys to the Bethesda kingdom, you can expect new games to be exclusive to Microsoft platforms.
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Setting, Story And Other Rumours
In an interview with The Washington Post, Todd Howard (Executive Produce at Bethesda) described the game as "the Han Solo simulator". The game is very much based on space exploration. You can create almost any character you want, and go off wherever you please. The game is set around three hundred years in the future, but is aiming to be grounded in real science. There will be new technologies, but a lot that will feel familiar.
The backstory involves an area of the Milky Way named The Settled Systems. This region extends around 50 light years beyond our Solar System. There are two factions that we are aware of - the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective. Prior to the time in which the game is set, these factions were involved in a bloody war, but are currently in an uneasy truce.
We also know a little about some of the locations in the game. Back in August 2021, Bethesda revealed some videos of three settings: New Atlantis, Neon, and Akila. New Atlantis is the capital of the United Colonies. Neon is described as a "pleasure city", while Akila is the capital of the Freestar Collective. Each has a very disctinctive look and feel. Further rumours suggest that each planet in the game will be bigger than the entire map on Skyrim. If this is true, then fans are in for something truly enormous.
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Anything Else Worth Knowing?
Starfield is being built using Creation Engine 2, which is also being used to develop The Elder Scrolls VI. We also know that four Bethesda studios are each working on the game in some capacity. These are Washington, Montreal, Dallas and Austin. The game itself has been in development in some form for over ten years, according to an interview Todd Howard did with The Guardian. That in itself gives some indication of the scale of the ambition behind this game.
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Mr Howard also confirmed in a Reddit AMA that full mod support will exist for Starfield. He stated:
Our modding community has been with us for 20 years. We love what they do and hope to see more make a career out of it.
https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/qr1f5c/hi_im_todd_howard_game_director_and_executive/hk3xl24/?context=3
If this hasn't whetted your appetite, then you'll need to wait until next Summer for the next major Starfield update from Bethesda. But as always, we'll keep you updated every time we learn something new.