Starfield, the upcoming RPG from Bethesda, is less than one year away from launch. According to a report from Lucas Hardi, the game’s lead character artist, the title has been in the works since way back in 2016, meaning that the November 11 release date might be possible after all.
Fans appreciate when a studio takes their time on such a massive title, and Starfield is massive in just about every way, flaunting over three times the amount of dialogue seen in Skyrim. It’s also the first original IP from Bethesda in two and a half decades, so there’s no room for screw-ups–especially when Elder Scrolls fans looking for a sixth installment have been hung out to dry for the past ten years.
On his blog, 10-year Bethesda veteran Lucas Hardi mentioned this he had been working on Starfield since 2016, claiming that he has worked on many of the game’s elements since work began. The 2016 estimation could be citing conceptual and pre-production stages, as Starfield entered full production in 2017. Todd Howard has confirmed that Starfield‘s pre-planning began shortly after the release of Fallout 4.
Starfield will take place around the year 2310, and follow the player as they explore The Settled Systems, an area that extends outward from the Solar System for 50 light-years. The two largest factions, the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective, engaged in a bloody Colony War 20 years prior to the beginning of the game. The title can be played in either first or third-person view. During the Skyrim 10th Anniversary Concert in November 2021, Starfield‘s concept art and theme were unveiled.
Starfield is scheduled to be released later this year on November 11, 2022, for PC and Xbox Series X/S. In August, it was announced that the title is not a timed exclusive and will not be released on the PlayStation 5. The game will be playable on day one with the Xbox Game Pass.