Starfield, the biggest upcoming title from Microsoft-owned Bethesda, has been delayed to the first half of 2023, according to a tweet from the studio. The game was originally set to launch on November 11th, 2022, an homage to The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim’s release date. The new space exploration game, which Bethesda has released precious few details about (and, to this date, no actual gameplay footage of), will get some extra development time, as will Redfall, the vampire co-op shooter coming from the team at Arkane that was surprise-announced last year.
It’s likely that both games will be shown off in Bethesda’s upcoming games showcase on June 12th, so this early announcement is likely meant to set expectations ahead of time. Speaking of setting expectations, if Bethesda happens to show off any Elder Scrolls VI footage, keep in mind that it’s likely (sadly) still years away from arriving on consoles and PC.
These decisions are hard on teams making the games & our fans. While I fully support giving teams time to release these great games when they are ready, we hear the feedback. Delivering quality & consistency is expected, we will continue to work to better meet those expectations. https://t.co/mIfXGd3rui
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) May 12, 2022
Few games have avoided major delays during the pandemic, as production and collaboration is more difficult when it takes place at home instead of an office. At this point, it’s almost expected that any game’s tentative release date may be pushed, regardless of the company. For example, the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was recently pushed from its planned holiday release to 2023.
