Will Starfield be an epic trip among the stars? Here’s everything you need to know about Bethesda’s next out-of-this-world game.
Starfield, the long-awaited new IP from Bethesda Game Studios, is coming to Xbox PC in 2022 and it looks set to take us on an epic sci-fi adventure. Starfield details remain pretty thin on the ground at the moment but thanks to a few brief teaser trailers and some concept art we do at least finally have some feel for what the game is going to be like. Bethesda’s first new IP in 25 years, the single-player RPG will take players into the future and outer space allowing them, according to studio boss Todd Howard, to take part in an epic about “hope and humanity » that he’s described as being « like Skyrim in space ». With its November 2022 release date, it’s still a while before we’ll get our hands on Starfield. Regardless of the wait, that hasn’t stopped us from boarding the Starfield hype train with a first-class ticket. There’s nothing more exciting than whetting your appetite for a new game by future-gazing (or star gazing in this case). So, in that spirit, we’ve searched the galaxy to bring you the latest news and rumors on Starfield. Here’s everything you need to know. [Update: Some new Starfield concept art has given as a look at the different kinds of settings we’ll be able to explore. Scroll down to see them for yourself.] At E3 2021, Bethesda confirmed Starfield will release on November 11,2022 – so quite a while to wait still. In an interview with the Washington Post, Todd Howard said the studio is « confident in the date ». What’s perhaps even more interesting is that it’s now looking to be an Xbox / PC exclusive, with the trailer and Xbox spokespeople making no mention of a PS5 release. With Microsoft now owners of developer Bethesda, this could be indicative of the future of titles like The Elder Scrolls 6 and Fallout 5 going forward. The Endless Pursuit In this behind the scenes video Game Director Todd Howard, Studio Director Angela Browder and Art Director Matt Carofano discuss Bethesda’s vision of the future with Starfield. Howard discusses « step-out moments » in the Fallout games, where a character emerges into a world that’s been irrevocably changed by nuclear war, and cryptically says that Starfield will have “two step-out moments”. Carofano, meanwhile, reveals that Starfield will have a « realistic science-based backing » and calls it a « more grounded game and grounded setting » than the likes of Skyrim. The backstory In October 2021, Bethesda released a video giving an overview of Starfield’s overall setting, known as ‘The Settled Systems’. Narrated by Bethesda Game Studios Design Director Emil Pagliarulo, the video explains that Starfield will transport players to the Settled Systems in the year 2330. The Settled Systems are located in “a relatively small pocket of the Milky Way, in an area that extends outward from our Solar System for approximately 50 light-years.” It also gives some details on the game’s two largest factions, the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective, who were engaged in a “bloody colony war” before the game begins but have developed an unsteady peace. Location teasers In August 2021, Bethesda revealed three brief videos which give an overview of cities that will feature in Starfield. The three locations are pretty distinct, comprising the metropolitan capital of the United Colonies, New Atlantis; the freedom-driven capital of the Freestar Collective, Akila; and the vice-drenched pleasure city, Neon. Each video (all below) gives a description of the locations and a look at some of the concept art, offering a good sense of the overall atmosphere you can expect. Teaser trailer The first proper Starfield trailer was revealed at E3 2021, showing off Bethesda’s more realistic approach to sci-fi than the likes of Outer Worlds or No Man’s Sky: We’re shown a very NASA-like astronaut exploring the rocky surface of a Moon-like location, complete with a blue-sky atmosphere, preparing for take-off. We’re shown drones, a cool mech-like buddy robot, and the promise of uncovering the « key to unlocking everything. » Into the Starfield E3 2021 also brought a more behind-the-scenes style video for Starfield called Into the Starfield. In this clip that’s just under 2 minutes, Bethesda gives an overview of Starfield and what it’s aiming to achieve with the game. Announcement teaser Other than that, we previously saw our first glimpse of the game during E3 2018 where we got little more than a title, a setting and a glimpse of an unnamed planet, a floating satellite or space station, and some sort of… glowing wormhole? Check out the teaser trailer below: Some environment concept art The Starfield Twitter account has been keeping up a steady drip of teases for the game. In December 2021, the account posted two new pieces of concept art which hint at the diversity of settings players will get to experience in the game. The first piece of art shows a dense jungle setting, with the tweet promising that “During your travels you’ll discover many unique environments, some lush and abundant with life.” The second tweet shows a scene far less “abundant with life”, instead depicting a deep, dark cave where, apparently, there will be things for players to discover. Full mod support Bethesda Game Studios boss Todd Howard confirmed in a recent Reddit AMA that despite Starfield moving to an all new engine from the studio’s previous titles, it will offer the same deep mod support as previous titles from the developer. “Our plan is to have full mod support like our previous games. 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,” said Howard. Full character customization Starfield players will be able to customize their characters to an in-depth degree in Starfield. In a Reddit AMA, Todd Howard said he was “Really excited about what the team has done with character creation”, explaining that it includes “choosing background, skills, etc. You also can pick your pronoun (he, she, they) and we’ve recorded all the relevant dialogue to support that choice.
