It’s only February, and already, 2022 is looking like one of the best years for games in recent memory. With today’s release of Horizon: Forbidden West and next week’s release of Elden Ring, it’s hard to imagine a time this year in which most of us won’t have a controller in our hands. There’s a long time between now and November, the month that will finally introduce us to Bethesda’s newest original IP in 25 years. Starfield is already looking like it’ll be a massive success, and while we haven’t seen any concrete gameplay, the space RPGs aesthetic is already doing it for legions of game fans.
Todd Howard previously called the upcoming game “Skyrim in space,” but Starfield‘s lead artist Istvan Pely has more to say in a new Xbox Wire post.
“Early on in this project when we were trying to establish the overall aesthetic of this game, we sort of coined the term ‘NASA-punk’ to describe a sci-fi universe that’s a little more grounded and relatable. We wanted a very realistic take. You can draw a line from current-day space technology and extrapolate from there into the future so it’s believable and relatable,” Pely explains.
“What’s really interesting is how much we all latched onto that concept,” lead animator Rick Vicens adds. “When you said NASA-punk, the Art team could instantly take those two words and make them work. It was just the perfect term for our art direction and keeping everyone in the same flow and working with a consistent style. For me, it just clicked. At the start of the project, I think that term was critical for us.”
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.
