Phil Spencer Comments On Delaying Both Redfall & Starfield

Microsoft made a massive purchase with ZeniMax. With it came a slew of developers now under the Microsoft Xbox umbrella. However, we’re still waiting for these behemoth games to make their way out as Microsoft exclusives. Two games were scheduled to come out before 2022 wrapped that would have been marked as the first couple of larger games since the ZeniMax purchase. Those two games are Bethesda’s Starfield and Arkane’s Redfall. Unfortunately, both titles have been pushed into 2023, which begs the question of what caused this delay decision.

Recently, The Verge managed to speak with the head of Xbox, Phil Spencer. During their conversation, the topic of delays came up. We’re nearing the holiday season, and having two larger games like Redfall and Starfield might have been on plenty of shopping lists. However, that’s not going to happen. Phil noted that Xbox had already shipped games too early in the past. Fortunately, when it came to the delays, the process was seamless. The head of Xbox can also credit this decision to his years of experience in the video game industry, and he has built a relationship with both companies.

According to Phil Spencer, with his experience in the industry, he can get a better gauge of where game productions are at. He mainly focused on Starfield with his answer and stated that there was so much investment into the IP. As a result, it was an easy decision to delay the game and allow the team to build up the project as intended. Furthermore, Phil noted that giving developers more control of the release date. This way, the development teams can deliver a better product instead of forcing a deadline upon them. 

We’re sure that any game delay announcement is bitter news for fans. Players have a longer wait to endure, which can feel like an eternity, especially for a massive game release like Starfield. A ton of anticipation and hype surrounds the game, so we’re sure there is plenty of stress on the developers to deliver a solid product. After all, countless games got overhyped and delivered well before they were ready. For now, we don’t have a specific release date for either Starfield or Redfall. Although, it’s worth noting that both games are slated to launch within the first half of 2023. In the meantime, you can check out the trailer for Starfield embedded above, along with the upcoming Redfall, down below.

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